The Bonded Beast
by Alan J. Worthington
Summary: The galaxy is at war! A race of creatures, the Morika, threaten the existence of life itself! Their only hope lying in their children, Saiyans and Humans send their children to war schools, where they bond with a companion of the other race. Together, Saiyans and Humans will learn only one thing: how to kill.
1. It Begins

Videl Satan picked at her shorts as she waited nervously on the doctors to call her back beyond the waiting room. Her father sat reading a martial arts magazine, probably reviewing the last tournament's statistics, looking completely unconcerned with what was to happen today. Videl wished she could have his confidence. She hung her head, wishing that the doctors would go ahead and call her name, and yet hoping they never did. There were several other children waiting inside the clinic, each of them her age. She wondered if they were as nervous, even scared, as she was.

Videl was seven, the ideal age to introduce the Psyjic chip to a human. She was here at a Battle Clinic waiting to be examined thoroughly to decide if she was a candidate for Psyjic Integration. She didn't know what would happen beyond those doors, only that those who walked through them never returned. She had heard rumors of people who had passed the examination being given superpowers on the condition that they went to war with the Saiyans against the dreaded Morika, the Scourge of the galaxy. She didn't put much stock into the rumor, but knew that the Battle Corps. helped in some way support the war effort against the Morika. Already they had stretched their territory to several planets across the solar system, and still more planets were funded for terraforming by Battle Corps. If Battle Corps. was heading this project, it must be real.

The double doors opened, and Videl looked up in fright. "Mr. Kazuya!" the nurse shouted. Videl heard a small yelp and saw a boy with dark hair get up, leaning on his mom as she tried to soothe him of his fears. They walked to the double doors, where the nurse stopped the mother. She said words that Videl couldn't understand but could guess at. The woman turned to her son, kissed him and whispered words to him before the nurse led the boy through the double doors and out of sight from his mother. Videl wondered how many children had gone through those doors, no longer with parents, since the beginning of the war twenty-three years ago.

She turned back to her inner thoughts. She wished Erasa was here. Sharpner had already gone through his examination months ago. She never found out what happened to him, but she wished him the best of luck. If only there was someone she could go through this with. She sighed. Erasa wouldn't be seven for another month, and Videl couldn't convince her dad to wait one more month. She was on her own once she walked through those doors.

Her time came before she was ready. The double doors opened and the same nurse came out. "Ms. Satan!" She instantly recoiled at the uttering of her name, but the sight of her dad getting up and giving the nurse a glare gave her a confidence she needed to walk to the nurse without crying.

The nurse stopped them at the door. "I'm sorry, sir, but you can't accompany your daughter past this point. She'll have to go alone."

Hercule grunted his displeasure and turned to Videl, kneeling to her level. She stared at him, promising herself that she wouldn't cry. His usual afro didn't seem so funny anymore; she was going to miss it. His handlebar mustache would never tickle her cheeks when he kissed her goodnight. She would never see his sparkling smile or firm stare again. "Well, Videl... This is your chance." Videl blinked in surprise. Chance? "Earth is in trouble, and humans are being called upon to protect mankind itself. I may have been the World Champion in older times, but I can't fight in this war." He rested his hands on her shoulders. "Instead, I have my own daughter going to fight for me. For mankind. I taught you everything I know, sweet pea. Now go out there and show the Morika how humans kick butt."

It wasn't the usual 'be safe, I love you' speech. Rather, it was the pep speech she would remember for the rest of her life. She smiled, blinking away tears as she hugged her father one last time. "I will, Daddy. I'll make you proud." He patted her head before reluctantly releasing her. As she stepped away and through the doors, she swore she saw a tear in his eye. That was the last she would ever see her father.

The nurse urged her forward and she turned from the door to the hallway in front of her. It was floored in sterile-gray tiles, with observation windows lining the walls. The corridor itself was ominously huge; Videl guessed it was wide enough for a hovercar or two.

"Please keep up," the nurse said, and Videl noticed the woman had already left her behind. She jogged to catch up, matching the woman's impressive speed as she was led down the corridor's winding turns. Most of the rooms that had an observation window were empty, but as the nurse came to a halt near a door to the right, Videl looked to the window across from the door the nurse was unlocking and stared in surprise.

On the other side was the same boy that had been called before her, Kazuya. He was attacking a full-grown man wearing armor. A Saiyan. They didn't look that different from humans. In fact, they looked completely identical to humans. The Saiyan dodged the boy's attacks effortlessly, despite the boy's frustrated assault. The glass muffled much of the sound, but Videl could still hear the Saiyan roar "Come at me, whelp! You call yourself a man?!"

The nurse ushered her inside the room before she could see the rest of the fight unfold - if you could even call it that. She looked about the room, a strong bleached smell invading her nose. The room was moderately sized and had a very large computer spanning the length of one wall, buttons and monitors and levers all over it. In the center of the room, facing the computer, was some sort of table, cushioned with a black material. It was on some sort of hydraulic system, angled toward the computer, as if someone were to stand in it. There were five straps hanging from the edges of the table. Around the table were different machines of various sizes and whose purpose she could only begin to guess at. On the ceiling above the table was another machine that looked almost like an X-ray machine.

Standing next to the giant computer were two women outfitted in white coats. One wore glasses and had brown hair reaching her shoulders. The other had black, unruly hair that was much shorter than the other woman's, cut just above the ears.

Both women nodded to Videl as she walked in, the one with glasses giving her a smile. The nurse walked up to them and gave her clipboard to the black haired one, who accepted it without a sound. She looked over it while the other woman dismissed the nurse and turned to Videl.

"Videl. Is it alright if I call you Videl?" Videl only managed a nod, causing the woman to smile. "My name is Elizabeth Zeier. You can call me Izzy for short. I'll be your evaluator for today." Izzy gestured to the other woman, who was still looking over the clipboard. "This is Rota Kahn, a Saiyan. She'll also be your evaluator." She turned back to Videl, squatting to the younger girl's level. "Do you know why you're here, Videl?"

Videl nodded. "You're going to test me. You're going to see if I'll go to war." She looked from Izzy to Rota and back again. "Right?"

Izzy smiled. "Correct. If you test positively, we'll begin your Psyjic Integration later this year. You'll receive training in both the psychic and martial fields of battle, and you'll be paired with a Saiyan to both protect and fight with."

"What do you mean, 'paired?'" Videl asked. She hadn't heard of this before.

Izzy smiled. "First, let's see if you pass the tests. If you pass, I'll answer all your questions." She stood and nodded to Rota, who grasped Videl's shoulder and steered her towards the table.

"First things first is I need you to take off your clothes. And no, I'm not kidding." Rota turned back to her clipboard, writing something and Videl looked to Izzy to see if she were really serious. Both women didn't acknowledge her confusion, and with shaky hands she undressed herself. The air was much cooler against her naked skin then she had expected, the steel floor being especially cold to her bare feet, and even though she stood with two women, she covered herself as best she could, fighting off embarrassment.

Rota set down her clipboard and walked up to Videl. "Stop covering yourself. Be proud of your body." Videl didn't feel pride at showing her body to anyone but relaxed as best she could. Rota grabbed her arm and held it out to her side, feeling her bicep and tricep. "Flex." Videl did, wondering what she was looking for. Rota began feeling Videl's arm, squeezing the muscles firmly from her wrist up, all the while calling things out to Izzy. "Pronator teres, flexor carpi radialis, and palmaris longus are good... brachioradialis is exceptional..." Her hands moved down the arm to her bicep. "Bicep brachii is good..." Videl found herself distracted with how easily Rota could recall the muscles, but wondered why she was classifying them as 'good' and 'exceptional'.

For the next ten minutes, Rota inspected each facet of Videl's body, from her hair to her toes, all the while calling out specific findings or writing down notes. The whole time, Videl tried to make sense of it all but couldn't even begin to guess what all they were looking for. Rota had discovered everything there was to Videl's body, from the scar behind her left ear, where she had fallen from a chair at a young age, to the birthmark on the inside of her right thigh. In the end, Rota stepped back to the small monitor near the table and began typing on the keyboard furiously. "Your muscles are well-developed. You obviously use them a great deal more than the other subjects here. That only makes expectations for you greater, so you'll have to get used to a more rigorous training session if you're accepted." She jotted down a few things on her clipboard as she made a side comment, "Among other things, your body is remarkably capable of surviving the gene splicing, physically." Videl had many questions already but decided to keep quiet.

Rota looked up minutes later and gestured to the table. "Get in." Videl nodded and stood on the small footsteps at the bottom of the table, putting her back to the black fabric. She discovered the material was a sort of leather: the cold material sent goosebumps up and down her naked back. Rota strapped Videl in place and began to place sticky circular pads connected to wires all over her body. Videl couldn't turn her head to see where the wires went, but she had been to the doctor before when they did something similar to monitor her vitals. Rota began swabbing Videl's upper arm with an alcohol pad before she disappeared from Videl's field of view. Videl could almost guess what was going to happen next. She sighed when Rota reappeared, showing an I.V. to her before inserting it into Videl's arm. Videl winced but said nothing, and Rota moved to one of the small computers beside the table. The giant X-ray machine above her came to life and moved closer, positioning itself directly above Videl. She heard it hum to life.

"I'm giving you a shot of acitophalyn, a Saiyan drug. You'll feel excited, angry, and confrontational for approximately one hour." She didn't even looked at Videl as she added in a condescending tone, "This will hurt. Try not to cry."

Videl barely had enough time to blink before she felt an enormous pain where Rota had placed the I.V. She grunted but clenched her jaw. She wouldn't give this Saiyan woman the satisfaction of seeing her in pain. The drug burned as it was pushed into her system, and Videl felt her eyes begin to water. Almost immediately she felt her muscles grow heavy and tired, as if made out of steel. She didn't know why, but that sudden inability to use her arms and legs made her angry. First she was poked and prodded all over her body, and now they were taking a closer look inside her. Violated wasn't the beginning of her feelings, and she couldn't help but hate them for what they were doing.

* * *

Rota reviewed the human's file with feigned interest while waiting for the drug to course through her system. Acitophalyn was an advanced drug created with Saiyan genes, able to provide them with a complete detail of a human's inner workings just by running through its system. A side effect was that it brought the human's more aggressive traits to the surface. It was a risky way to see if the humans could survive the bonding process with the Saiyans, but it was more often than not a guaranteed way of seeing just how well the human would do during the Psyjic Integration. Despite all their research, few humans were compatible. Those that weren't were often crippled from the therapy, and had to be sent off to a recovery facility to regain their former way of life.

Rota was unimpressed with Videl's profile so far. Top grades in her class... punctual... respectful... trustworthy... responsible... Rota sighed as she looked through the worthless information, hoping beyond hope that this human would give them something worthwhile they could work with beyond being a 'perfect student.' Humans placed their values in worthless skills. She already had hopes for the girl; only seven with well-developed muscles. She must take conditioning her body very seriously, an admirable trait in one so young. The human, Videl, grunted, and Rota looked up to see her eyes closed, her face twisted into a snarl. Rota smirked, inwardly pleased that the girl was at least taking the drug well, and turned back to her clipboard.

It was insulting that she was assigned to the Battle Corps. She should be fighting with her brothers and sisters across the galaxy, not looking over pampered girls for recruitment into the Battle Bond program. The fact that she was recognized as one of the top geneticists of her race, and was given full reign over this particular Battle Corp. gave her little pride. Every Saiyan should aspire to meet the enemy in battle. All she had met here were scared and spoiled girls crying for their parents. Most of them cried throughout the examination, and one even wet herself when Rota yelled at her. She failed her immediately, despite Zeier's protests. She didn't care that the girl checked out physically. If she couldn't control her fear and stand up to others, she deserved no part in this.

She turned a page and continued reading over Videl's file, becoming more and more intrigued with the girl who lay on the examination table. Daughter of the World Champion... Winner of the Junior Martial Arts Championship last year... Shows potential to achieve mastery over most known forms of martial arts... Rota shook her head, conflicted about the news. _Either the humans were so inept at combat that a mere child had surpassed many older, more experienced fighters... _She looked up at the girl, who lay snarling with a glare befitting of a Saiyan... _or this girl was different in every way from what she had seen here so far. _She was betting on the latter. It would explain her near-perfect physique.

She lowered the clipboard and walked up to Videl. Time to see how emotionally stable this girl was. "You'll never see your pathetic excuse of a father again. From now on you belong to me, whelp." Videl wouldn't look her in the eye so she poked her sharply on the cheek. Videl's eyes turned to her, and her glare intensified even more. "If you expect to survive your training, you'll have to give me more than I expect. And I expect a lot from you." She patted the clipboard for emphasis. Videl continued glaring at her, and Rota wondered if the drug or the girl was truly the source of the rage she sensed in her. "You stupid or something? You answer me when I speak to you." Still, Videl said nothing. Rota pulled back her hand and slapped the girl across the cheek.

"Rota!"

"Get back to the computer, Zeier! I'm evaluating this girl!" Rota glared at Videl, impressed to see her recover from the assault and continue her seething stare. "That's right, girl. Glare at me. It's all my fault you're here, isn't it? Well I promise you this: your life until now has been a paradise compared to the Hell you'll see in years to come." Rota met Videl's glare for a moment before turning to the small computer that monitored the girl's bio-levels. "Endorphin levels at 56%... blood pressure 153 over 92 and climbing. Administering spironolactone..." She watched as the monitor tracked the medicine flowing through the girl's system. Within moments, Videl's blood pressure declined to nominal levels. "Blood pressure returning to normal range..." Her hands danced across the console as she scrolled through the various reports of internal readings. "Bone density is 30% above normal... Muscle growth has progressed significantly faster than average... upwards to around forty percent... Impressive..." Rota shook her head of the momentary distraction, instead looking to the progress of the test that the acitophalyn was conducting. "Acitophalyn advancing through the edocrine system... Hypothalamus activity up by 82%... and rising." She watched as the drug influenced the gland, pumping out more aggressive hormones into the girl's body. "Acitophalyn is stimulating the amygdala." She watched the monitor, waiting for the result of the first test: to see if the girl could survive bonding with the chip itself. She sighed aloud with relief when the monitor gave her two words.

"Positive response."

"Wonderful!" Izzy exclaimed.

"You've still got a ways to go, girl, so don't get your hopes up yet." Rota typed a few commands into the keyboard and the giant scanner lit up, casting Videl in a blue glow. For the next hour, the scanner, a technological breakthrough created by Battle Corps., scanned and examined each and every part of Videl, from her hair follicles to her very cellular makeup, determining each and every facet of Videl's DNA. During the scan, Rota couldn't help but feel envy on what she was seeing. Videl's genetics indicated that a perfect symbiosis with Psyjic technology and human genes would be achieved. As far as genetics went, Videl was biologically perfect for the integration. Eventually, Rota typed a few keys and the scanner raised away from the table. She went over to Videl and removed her I.V., not bothering to put anything over the wound to stop the bleeding. "You seem to know more about fighting than most girls..." She began to undo the straps that held the girl down. "I want to see just how much more." She unclasped the final strap at the feet and was quickly kicked in the face. Caught unawares, she fell back onto the floor with a cry of surprise and was tackled by a seven year-old blur. Videl got two good hits on her face before Rota threw her back with inhuman strength. The Saiyan stood, wiping blood from her mouth as she gave a smile. "Not bad, human, but you'll have to do better than that to get my approval. Surprise attacks only work once." She lowered herself into a stance, watching as Videl rose from on top of the table, all modesty forgotten in place of rage.

"No Rota! Not here!" Izzy walked up to Rota briskly, standing between both women despite the tension arcing between them. "We have valuable equipment here! You test martial skills in Test Room B!"

"Oh, shut up, woman! You think you can move her as she is right now?" She gestured to the snarling girl lowering herself into a battle stance. "She's more volatile than any other subject we've tested on. A reactive response to the drugs... I don't know! She's not listening to anyone."

"Rota, we can't risk you or her damaging any equipment! You've got to get her out of here!"

"Oh, son of a... Fine! Open the door! Open the door!" Rota backed away from the girl, still keeping her guard up as Izzy opened the lab door and stood aside.

With a shout, Videl leapt at her, twisting in the air and bringing up her leg in a brutal kick. Rota blocked and threw the leg aside, caught by surprise again as Videl brought her other leg up to kick her in the face. Thrown off by the second surprise, Rota stumbled back, blood gushing from her lip. Videl had tumbled to the floor but was back up in seconds, continuing her assault with deceptively strong punches and kicks. Rota recovered and blocked them easily with her Saiyan speed and strength, but felt the power behind each blow and smiled. This girl was a perfect candidate indeed. She didn't allow herself to fight back for fear of injuring the underclassed girl, resolving herself to block every punch or kick.

She backed out of the room into the hallway, almost bumping into several men and women dressed in business suits and dresses. They were shocked at the sudden sight of one of the evaluators leaving the room with blood on her coat, but were even more surprised at the nude girl attacking the same woman.

"Back away, all of you! Now!" Even as she shouted at the group of people, she blocked another attack from Videl, moving to the side to allow Izzy by. She walked down the hall, blocking each attack with increasing difficulty as Videl undoubtedly learned her defenses and fought to overcome them. As Rota backed into the Testing Room B, she couldn't help but admire Videl's tenacity. The girl was attacking with speed and strength befitting a more aged fighter of her species. Had she been a human as well, Rota knew with grudging respect that the girl would outclass her with ease.

Izzy closed the door to the room and Rota took that as her cue to block Videl's latest attack, grab the girl by the arm and hurl her away. "Stop right now, Videl! I surpass your skill in every way; fighting me is futile!"

Whether she heard it or just ignored it, Videl gave no sign. With renewed vigor, the girl launched herself at Rota once more, and once again, the two women were locked in combat.

"Izzy, you'll have to make your observations from here. The girl isn't listening anymore!" Rota herself was making her own evaluation of the girl, pleased with what she was seeing. Videl would attack at Rota's left side more often than not; she must've figured out Rota's partial blindness in that eye and was using that to her advantage. Her footwork was equally impressive. Rota had never been one for mastering maneuverability in combat, focusing instead on tough defense that didn't require moving much. Videl was using her smaller frame's agility to always be on the move, never striking in the same place twice.

They fought for a productive half hour, until the acitophalyn began to wear off. Rota saw it in Videl's eyes as much as her body: her blows were getting softer, she was moving slower, and she wasn't radiating the same anger she had first felt at the height of the drug's effects. In a matter of moments, Videl turned from a frenzied monster to an exhausted child. She let up on her attacks, panting hard before slumping to the ground in a heap. Izzy was by her side in seconds, but Rota simply turned away, unconcerned.

"She's fine, Izzy. Just tired." Rota smoothed the wrinkles from her coat, picking at the small stain of blood just above her breast pocket.

"Rota, her knuckles and knees are all busted! You should have stopped her before this!"

"That was a fantastic chance for observation of this girl's potential, Izzy! A few bloody knuckles, a skinned knee, hell, a broken arm is worth the data we got on her!" Rota looked at the now sleeping form of Videl, pride welling up inside her. "Videl Satan has proven in the span of minutes what I have to train girls three months for. She's the best candidate we have for the Battle Bond Program. She'll have to receive the best if she's to get results."

"Rota, that's favoritism. The other kids will kill her."

"Let them try. If Videl can't survive the training with her fellow brothers and sisters, she doesn't deserve to fight. If she does survive, it only proves her the strongest. That's something I intend to find out."

* * *

Videl woke to find herself in a soft bed, covered up to her neck in thicket red blankets. She looked around curiously, unable to remember how she got here, or even when she fell asleep for that matter. One thing she did know, though, was that this wasn't her room.

It was a small room with simple furnishings. Apart from her bed, there were only two chairs and a nightstand beside her bed. On one of the seats were neatly folded clothes. The nightstand had a vase with flowers and a note. An I. V. was dripping into her right arm, the bag filled with a clear fluid. Videl moved to sit up but found it almost impossible to even twitch in any direction; her limbs felt like lead. She decided to lay there for the time being, trying to remember what had happened.

She remembered getting the note from Battle Corps. about her eligibility to test for Psyjic Integration this year. Her heart had sank at that note. She had hoped her dad would have found a way to save her from the testing, but even the World Champion answered to the Battle Corps., it seemed. She had cried for two days, and none of her friends could console her. It was only when her dad sat down with her and had a talk with her that she finally decided to go through with the testing.

"Videl... Are you afraid?"

She had thought about lying - after all, the World Champ's daughter wasn't supposed to be afraid - but her father would see through it easily. She nodded.

Hercule smiled tenderly. "It's okay to be afraid, Videl. That's the only time a person can be brave. Did you know that?"

Videl thought about it now and realized he was right. No one's ever unafraid of something. Even the Saiyans must realize that. You can't be brave without having a fear to overcome.

Her memory reflected to her time in the waiting room, and the testing after. She remembered being called from the waiting room, saying goodbye to her dad, and meeting Izzy and Rota. Rota had examined her body thoroughly, making observations and notes before hooking her up to a machine and giving her some type of drug. It had hurt, but she couldn't remember anything past that. She wondered how long ago that had been, and where she was now. Above all, she wondered what was going to happen to her.

She didn't wonder long before the door opened and a nurse stepped in. "Ah. You're awake." She closed the door behind her and stepped up to I.V., checking that it was connected and dripping steadily. "Your I.V. is good... The acitophalyn should be flushed from your system by now."

Acitophalyn.

Videl remembered the Saiyan woman, Rota, hooking her up to the machine and given her that drug. She had said it would make her 'confrontational' and angry, but if so, why was she in bed? Did she attack someone and the Saiyan knock her out or something?

The nurse took her vitals and wrote them down on a clipboard before setting it down and turning to her. "Alright, let's see how your hands and feet are."

Videl blinked, confused. "My...hands?" The nurse only smiled as she gently unfolded the blanket away from Videl's hands. Videl almost gasped when she saw them completely wrapped in bandages. "What happened?"

The nurse gently grabbed one, unwrapping the bandage. "Your evaluators can explain in further detail, but your file says you injured them during your first testing phase." She had unwrapped the left hand, exposing a grotesque bruise on almost the entire hand. There were several splits where the skin had broken, and now that she could freely move the hand, she found she didn't want to for fear of causing further damage. "Alright, I'm going to test some movement. Tell me if you feel anything."

She grasped the index finger and gently flexed it. Videl waited for a burst of pain, but none came. The nurse continued flexing the finger, testing movement at each knuckle while awaiting a response from Videl. Videl almost felt obliged to feel pain; it was obviously what she was checking for.

The nurse gently set down her hand and wrote down notes onto a clipboard. "Alright. Now the other one." She unwrapped the right hand, testing the movement and, after finding the same results, moved to the feet. Videl saw that she was now clothed in a patient gown and that her knees were wrapped as well as her feet. The nurse unwrapped both feet, also bruised, and tested the movement. Again, Videl thought she should feel pain, but felt nothing. In fact, she couldn't feel anything. Not even the nurse's hand on her foot. The nurse had gone back to her clipboard, writing down notes before moving to the knees. As she unwrapped them, Videl could see they were swollen and bruised as well. The nurse felt them gently, prodding in several places before writing more notes down on the clipboard and moving to the door.

"Your evaluators will be with you in a moment," was all she said, and then she was gone.

Videl lay there for several minutes, wondering what her evaluators would say. Would they tell her she failed? Is that why she was here? Or maybe she had passed and she was given a room to live in while she trained. She couldn't decide which was more likely and lay there fretting about her future when the door opened and Izzy and Rota walked in.

Izzy started first. "Hi Videl. Good to see you're awake."

Videl managed a weak 'hi' to both women.

"Well, we've got some good news," Izzy continued. "Your body checked out, and it can take the Psyjic Integration. Your muscular system in particular exceeded expectations." She pulled out a piece of paper from the folder she was holding, looking at it. "Unfortunately, there seems to be a problem with your nervous system's reaction to the Psyjic technology... Almost your entire system shuts down..." She looked at Videl and smiled. "You probably noticed it when the nurse tested your hand's and feet's movements. Nothing a little nerve therapy can't fix. We can't have your nervous system shutting down on you out there." Videl gulped at the thought of suddenly collapsing or having uncontrollable seizures. Izzy must've noticed and laughed. "Don't worry. We'll make sure you're in perfect condition before we greenlight you for battle."

Videl nodded. "Thanks, I guess."

"You're welcome!" Izzy flashed her a smile before continuing. "We have a record of your eligibility and performance for the initial test, if you'd ever like to review them. Since you've passed the preliminary tests, we're submitting you for further testing. You'll start the next testing phase later this month. Rota will give you more information, if you'd like."

Whether Videl did or did not like, Rota stepped up anyway. "You did well, human. Better than the others by far. Physically, you check out, apart from a few minor issues, but we'll clear them up with some therapy. Now we're going to check and see if you're mentally capable." She crossed her arms. "Subjects who pass the tests go through several surgeries critical to developing telepathic abilities. Through these surgeries, we implant cybernetic nodes throughout your nervous system that allow you to manipulate objects telepathically through electric impulses sent from your brain. The final surgery installs the actual Psyjic chip, a core part of your ability to battle the Morika. The Psyjic chip amplifies a human's psychic capabilities such as telekinesis, telepathy, even teleportation in more talented individuals. The main priority for any chip holder is to protect their Saiyan counterpart from mental assault from the Morika Sages."

"Morika Sages are individuals whose mental capabilities far exceed their brethren. While all Morika are mentally inclined, these Sages have surpassed the majority of their race and developed powers and abilities that can wipe out entire cities in the blink of an eye." She pointed a finger at Videl to further emphasize her point. "Until these Sages appeared, we Saiyans had held off the Morika with ease. Their technological power was nothing compared to our martial might. Now we can't fight them without a partnership. To do so is suicide."

Videl risked a question she was afraid wouldn't be answered. "Why do you need to partner with humans?" She shrugged. "What can we do?"

Rota began pacing. "Your race is one filled with innate compassion. It's in your genes, much as hate and anger is in ours. You are the perfect counterpart for us." She looked at Videl. "The Morika Sages use psychic abilities to attack a Saiyan's mind when he is angered, our most vulnerable emotion. When angered, a Saiyan can level a city, but his mind is very fragile and can be manipulated, even controlled, by someone with psychic abilities. That is what the Sages do. They control an angered Saiyan and turn him against those he fights to protect." She glowered at the thought. "It's the most despicable act of warfare I've ever seen."

Videl couldn't hide her gasp. It was despicable! "But how can I help?"

For once, Rota smiled. "If you pass this next testing phase, we'll clear you for the integration. It's your duty to humanity, to the galaxy, to learn and train in both physical and mental warfare. You'll learn how to fight the Morika warbots, how to mentally link with your Saiyan partner, how to protect him or her from a Sage, how to mentally attack the Morika..." She shrugged. "You'll learn everything you need to know to kill Morika." Videl couldn't help but show her disgust at the very idea, but Rota waved it off. "That's the honest truth. You must protect your fellow humans from the Morika, or they will kill you without a second thought. You must kill them first, to save your friends, family, even species." She crossed her arms. "As long as the Morika are alive, we're an endangered species." She looked at Videl with a patient eye as the girl took it all in.

"So, Videl... Do you want to learn how to kill?"


	2. The Mind Raze

The planet of Sakesh was a vile and dangerous world hardly worth the effort of colonizing. With a putrid green atmosphere, pus-yellow flora, and a population of fauna that had developed predatory instincts from the simple rat to bigger, crocodile-like creatures, Sakesh was a disgusting world few Saiyans had even seen. This particular patch of ground was ample reminder of that fact; supposedly a swamp, the water was stagnant and putrid, the ground a sickly mush, and the trees strangely twisted and warped.

Gohan could have done without seeing this planet, much less being sent here to train for war. His father, the current commander of the Seventh Regiment, had trained here. His exploits were legendary, his skills unrivaled, and it all originated on this dingy excuse for a mudball. Gohan didn't know how this world would help him become stronger, but at least he didn't have to go through it alone. There were at least thirty more children here. Some were his age, around seven, but some were slightly older or younger. He recognized some of the clan markings on their gi's: there was the Tork clan, known for having sired the most consistent high-level Saiyans in the past two centuries; the Borgan clan, credited to bringing up some of the fiercest Saiyan Conquerers in Saiyan history; the Dorver clan, ancestors of the great Agnar Dorver, the Destroyer of the hated Cold Empire. There were many more, but Gohan looked away, avoiding feeling arrogant about his chances. It didn't help that his family was more legendary than any of the others. It just meant he had more to live up to.

He kept his family gi in his bag, content with the others thinking he was clanless. He instead wore a solid, dark blue gi, similar to the one he wore when he trained in the wilderness with the great God-Warrior Piccolo for almost three years. His mother and father had both been called back to the war by then, and had asked the God-Warrior to train their son in their absence. Piccolo had agreed, putting Gohan through the most brutal training he had ever been through. Even his father had held back in their training sessions before, but Gohan had a small feeling that Piccolo had been pushing him far enough to kill him sometimes. He always seemed to know when to pull back at the last second, and give him some respite, but it was never enough. Oddly enough, Gohan respected him all the more for it. His limits had been pushed farther than any his age, and he had grown stronger because it. He knew in his heart that he was more powerful than everyone here. Even the instructors. After all, he was the son of Goku, the Legendary Super Saiyan.

No one knew about the young boy's incredible power except his father and Piccolo, and even though he had seen it with his own eyes, the Namekian still could hardly believe it. Son Gohan, a seven year old boy, had risen to a level far above him and had outmatched him by a power level of at least a hundred thousand; not many could claim a strength greater than the God-Warrior. Piccolo could see Gohan's potential of becoming the strongest Saiyan in the universe. For a time, Gohan had worried over his heritage. His father never let on his expectations, but Gohan knew he had to ascend soon to carry on his family's legacy. The galaxy expected it as much as his own father.

Gohan pushed the brooding thoughts from his mind, turning his attention to the energy levels he felt fast approaching from the west. They dwarfed the power levels of the other Saiyan children here; his power level far exceeded these mysterious people. He inwardly prepared for a fight; his father told him to expect nothing and to be ready for anything, and so he wouldn't be caught offguard before the training began.

True to his father's warning, he sensed a huge spike in one of the power levels before sensing it take off at unseeable speeds towards them.

It seemed to happen in slow motion to Gohan. A burly Saiyan in massive armor, moving faster than the eye could see, was suddenly among them, striking out at the Saiyan children. It happened so fast, none of the children were prepared, and were sent flying or knocked to the ground, or were catapulted into the air, often before any of the others could hear the scream of surprise.

When he made his move to Gohan, he had attacked thirty-three other children; Gohan was the last child left. Even before the man had closed the distance, Gohan had moved, the man's fist passing where Gohan's head had just been. Before the man could recover, Gohan had moved several feet away, hands up and feet spread in a battle stance.

Instead of attacking, the burly Saiyan stared at Gohan for just a moment before glaring at the others all around him. When he spoke, it was harsh and to the point. "You mean to tell me that out of all you whelps, only one can dodge attacks?" He looked at each child as they picked themselves up off the ground before moving to one and grabbing her by her tail, causing her to scream. "You must always be ready for battle! If that had been Morika, you all would have died!" he screamed in the girl's face. She didn't comment, too terrified to answer. He threw her to the ground in disgust before kicking another boy in the ribs as he tried to stand. "That was pathetic! You are weak! Tell me why I shouldn't save the Morika time and kill you all right now!" He said it to everyone, but he looked pointedly at Gohan.

For a moment, no one said anything. Gohan briefly thought about taunting the man, but reserved himself to simply defend himself should the man attack again.

Before anyone spoke, three other Saiyans descended from the sky, a woman and two men. "Leave them be, Darrow," said one of the men, much smaller and leaner than the other two. "We don't want to kill them before the tests even begin."

The man, Darrow, spit before walking away. The smaller man walked forward and addressed the children as the man and woman began helping them up. "I am Captain Pelazzo. This is Sergeant Corla and Corporol Han." He gestured to the woman and man, respectively. "You've already met Corporol Darrow." The man grunted, and Captain Pelazzo smiled slightly before turning back to the children, setting right to business.

"On the other end of this swamp are medical tents. Between you and the tents are five miles of traps and ambushes organized by our very best strategists. Your objective is to get to the tents as fast as possible. You'll be competing against each other. The longer it takes for you to make it to the tents, the longer you'll wait before your wounds are tended to." He held everyone's gaze a moment longer before pointing into the swamp. "Move out! Don't let anything stop you!"

The children stared in confusion for just a moment before all of them broke out in a run into the swamp, much to the encouragement of the soldiers. They screamed and pushed any they deemed slow enough into the swamp. Many of them found their footing to be lacking in the soft, uneven ground, but Gohan felt right at home, having survived in many different terrains during his training with Piccolo. He had trained in harsh tundras and scorching deserts, and everything in between. A swamp would give him no trouble.

Already he had broken away from the others, his body conditioned to perfection whereas most children were just beginning to learn to fight. He kept his senses trained to the world around him, waiting for an ambush or trap, but continued his speed all the same.

Seconds later, he heard the first student fall to a trap; a lesser-clan Saiyan screamed, and Gohan heard an electro-vice snap. Gohan briefly remembered using those traps while surviving in the wilderness. The trap would snap with enough pressure to break even a Saiyan's leg, delivering an electric shock to paralyze the victim until the trapper could return. It was a common way of hunting game; it was a pathetic way to fall in combat.

He pushed the girl from his mind, knowing she wasn't walking any time soon. He instead continued up a hill, noting a slight depression in the ground as he topped the hill. He quickly jumped, dodging the trap, hearing the boy behind him fall victim to it instead; a stun mine that blinded, deafened and paralyzed the victim for half a minute. He didn't even have time to scream before the blast paralyzed him.

Gohan continued his trek through the swamp, avoiding traps or likely ambushes in favor of longer walk-arounds or slowing for other children to brave the unknown first. His instinct was always right; twice, a student that he let overtake him fell to a trap he thought was there, and he even saw a student fall to an adult Saiyan as he ambushed her with a giant ki blast.

Throughout the run, Gohan kept his senses alert for any trouble, but could tell that just up ahead was a likely ambush he couldn't avoid. The trail cut between two larger hills, virtually unscaleable without taking longer than he would like on such a fast-paced exercise, and his training with Piccolo hadn't including flying. He braced himself as he ran through the opening, and his senses flared danger at once.

On either side of him and above him, a Saiyan flew at him with unimaginable speed. One made to tackle him, while another threw all their weight behind a punch, and yet the other came at him with a savage kick. All three carried a lust to injure, and Gohan knew that this test was not just to weed out undesirables; it was to take out all but the most skilled of Saiyans. They wouldn't waste their time and resources training incapable warriors.

Gohan was far from incapable. Though three Saiyans came at him from all angles, Gohan was still untouched. The man who tried to tackle him, he flipped over. The man who tried to punch him, he twisted his body around to avoid the attack. The kick, he caught with both hands and used the kick's momentum to propel him away from the ambush, ever closer to the tents that were just beginning to take shape on the horizon.

He ran, hearing the Saiyans' confusion about his reflexes, and ignored it. As he ran, he saw the outskirts of the perimeter for the tents, as well as a man standing alone in front of the complex. As Gohan ran past, he called out "First!" Gohan surpressed the pride he felt welling up inside him, instead walking into the main tent marked with a circle and two vertical lines through it: the medical sign for Saiyans.

Inside, he saw several people running about, doing whatever it was that medical technicians did. One of them noticed Gohan and stopped, surprise obvious on her face.

"Have you already finished?" she asked. Gohan nodded hesitantly, taking note that she was a human, not Saiyan. Her cheekbones were more shallow, and her forehead was slightly smaller than a Saiyan woman's. The human looked at her watch. "Only seven minutes for this one, doctor." A man turned to regard Gohan with keen interest, and Gohan himself studied this man intently.

He was also human, much shorter than Saiyan men. He had peculiar hair: a lilac color than seemed odd on a man of his years; Gohan could tell this man was quite old, simply by the way he carried himself. He had a thick mustache and large round glasses, but the most peculiar thing about the man was the creature that clung to his shoulder. It looked like a variety of cat only found on human-colonized worlds.

"Only seven minutes, you say?" the man replied, adjusting the glasses as he took a closer look at Gohan. "Let me ask, youngster, are you injured? You look to be standing alright."

Gohan shook his head. "No sir," he said. "I'm fine."

"Right you are!" the man replied, smiling underneath his bristly mustache. "That's quite a record you've set there. No one's made it through the swamp run untouched before, and certainly not in the time you have. That's certainly impressive." He chuckled slightly. "Why don't you have a seat, young man. The others will be along shortly." The unnamed doctor turned back to his work, leaving Gohan to wait for the rest of the children.

He didn't wait long before the second Saiyan ran through the tent, and Gohan couldn't help but stare in shock. It was a girl with an unmarked gi - a true clanless - that shouldn't have been walking. He had heard the electro-vice go off and her scream. She should have never gotten up. But there she was.

She must have tripped and tried to catch herself with her hands when she hit the trap; her right arm was almost completely severed from just below the armpit, the trap's teeth slicing through almost the entire arm. Blood coated the entire limb, and had gotten all over her during her run; she looked like an avatar of death if Gohan had ever seen one.

The nearest scientist saw the girl and screamed, drawing everyone's attention. There were several gasps before someone rushed forward to help the girl. Even though she was damaged so badly, she insisted walking with the scientist as he led her off behind a curtain, blocking Gohan's view. The image was still fresh in his mind as more students began making their way inside the tent, and Gohan couldn't help but wonder if the girl had passed.

* * *

Videl lay on another examination table, still nervous as last time. Rota Khan and Elizabeth Zeier were both setting up equipment, leaving the seven-year-old girl to wait anxiously to start the next test.

She had said yes to Rota when she asked her the question. It had felt weird saying she wanted to learn how to kill aliens, but she could tell this wasn't a game. They were telling the truth; if people like her didn't learn how to fight the aliens, they would be killed. She didn't think they would have accepted a 'no' anyway. In that case, they probably would have made her take the tests and make her fight. She guessed going along with this willingly is better than being forced to.

They were making her wear a funny-looking metal helmet with wires coming out of it, as well as strapping her down again. All over her face and underneath the helmet, she had these metal circles connected to each other by more wires. Rota called the metal circles 'electrodes' and the entire thing an 'EEG recording net.' Videl didn't know what that was or what it would do, but she didn't like the feel of it. It made her feel closed in. And she definitely didn't like being strapped down. It made her feel weak and defenseless to be strapped down, but she didn't think they'd hurt her on purpose. Maybe it was meant to protect her. Rota told her that she started attacking them after they let her out of the straps last time, and that she had almost broken her own bones just by attacking so ferociously. She didn't want that to happen again, that was for sure. She had started to gain feeling in her arms and legs again, and they were starting to hurt a lot.

Rota walked up to her and made sure the helmet was fitted onto her head tight. She hadn't made fun of her since the first test. Videl wondered if she was angry with her for attacking her. Maybe she was disappointed and didn't think Videl was worth speaking to unless she had to. It made Videl even more nervous around the woman.

"When we start the Mind Raze, you'll hear a lot of ringing. It might even hurt." She looked Videl dead in the eye. "It's very important that you keep your mouth closed. Do you understand?"

Videl nodded, sensing that Rota was very serious about this. Rota walked over to a computer on the wall, where she began talking with Izzy softly. Videl tried to pick up what they were saying, but couldn't make any of it out. Rota turned around to look back at Videl. "We're ready to begin. Remember to keep your mouth closed, and don't move your head at all." Videl nodded to them once before remembering not to move her head and quickly stopped the motion. Rota didn't notice or care, however, and had turned back to the computer.

"Beginning mentality evaluation 01. Commencing integration. Mind Raze online."

Videl could feel a small vibration all over her head as the metal helmet came to life. She heard the low thrum of the machine as it did whatever it was doing, and she consciously clenched her jaw tight, afraid of what would happen if she opened her mouth. For a minute, it just thrummed the low sound in her ear, but then, like Rota warned, a slight ringing started. It was barely noticeable at first, but as the seconds went on, the ringing grew in intensity until it really did start to hurt. Videl didn't dare move, but she wished it would stop.

"Beta waves at 24 hertz, 12 per transient. Theta and Alpha waves normal. Delta waves normal." Rota was silent for a moment before turning to Videl. "Everything's in order. We just had to see your normal wavelengths. Now we're going to put you to sleep. While you're asleep, we'll be manipulating your dreams. This will tell us everything we need to know about your brain activity." She paused for a moment to let Videl soak it all in. "Blink once if you don't understand, or blink twice if you do understand." Videl blinked twice, and Rota disappeared from her field of view for a moment before returning with another syringe. "This is an anesthetic. It'll put you to sleep. It shouldn't hurt." She cleaned and sterilized a place on Videl's arm before inserting the needle and injecting the drug. It felt cold to Videl, and for a moment she couldn't feel anything. Then, all of a sudden, she felt weak and tired.

In a matter of minutes, she fell asleep and dreamt.

* * *

Gohan stood away from the rest of the children that remained. Twenty students had failed on the first test. Fourteen remained. Oddly enough, the girl who had made it to the tents despite her injury had failed. Gohan couldn't believe it. The girl had outran all her other brothers and sisters with an entire arm gone. He would've passed her on the spot if it were up to him. The scientist he had asked, though, insisted that the injury was too great for her to be of use to them. They were keeping her comfortable for the time being, but she would be leaving the facility within the week. Gohan had mixed feelings about their decision, and decided to put away his thoughts. He was here to become a soldier and save the galaxy, not to right an injustice. And perhaps it was for the best. Maybe she would find a better occupation for herself while Gohan would be literally thrown into the jaws of death time and time again.

The doctors assured them that this next and final test would weed out the 'undesirables' and the real training could begin. They said nothing else about this test, only that it was called the 'Mind Raze,' and that it was a brutal test the likes of which they've never seen. Even now, Doctor Briefs, the doctor that had previously spoken with Gohan, was explaining just what the Mind Raze did.

"It's quite a fascinating test, really. Battle Corps. developed the Mind Raze shortly after the war began, and it's been vital in developing warriors capable of protecting the galaxy. It's a test we use on Saiyans as well as humans, but for completely different purposes. When testing humans, we look for abnormalities in their thought processes. If we find one, they fail." He pushed his glasses up before continuing. "When we test Saiyans, however, we are looking for something quite different." He smiled as the children, Gohan included, looked skeptical at best.

He cleared his throat before continuing. "In this war, you Saiyans will be bonded with a human counterpart through a process known as Psyjic Integration. With this bond, your human counterpart can provide you with split-second information to save your life in battle, as well as protecting your mind from psychic assault by powerful Morika known as Sages. It is your bondmate's job to protect you from mental assault while you protect him or her from physical assault. Without either, the Morika will surely win." He smiled as he gestured to the machine in the middle, a sort of tube that had many wires hooked up to it.

"When you are tested, we are seeing if you can withstand psychic connection with a human partner. The gene splicing that we perform later will ensure a successful bond with your partner, but we have to make sure your mind can take a psychic connection to another creature without it shattering. Don't worry, it's not dangerous and it won't take long at all." He looked across the students and smiled warmly before nodding to a scientist beside him, who began to read names from a clipboard.

"Son Gohan!"

Gohan felt his heart stop. He wasn't expecting to have been called first, and so felt fear against the unknown. He took a deep breath, remembering his clan name, wrapped his tail around his waist and stepped forward, where a scientist ushered him into the tube. The scientist, a young man with glasses and pimples, placed electrodes across Gohan's face before pulling a black veil over his head. "Keep your mouth closed, no matter what you feel." Gohan didn't understand, but didn't ask. He knew how to follow instructions without an explanation, and so stayed silent. He felt straps being pulled across his body to bind him in place before the hiss of the tube signaled separating him from the rest of the students.

"Mind Raze online," he heard Dr. Briefs say. "Beginning mentality evaluation."

Gohan could hear a small humming throughout the tube and clenched his jaw. His mind began racing, wondering what was going to happen. He couldn't see the other students through the veil, and being secluded in this tube, truly felt alone. He felt a tinge of fear before forcing it away. His father went through this test and passed. He would too.

The Mind Raze continued with its intense humming, eventually reaching deafening decibels. Gohan wanted to scream, but didn't dare open his mouth. He began to feel a massive headache, so painful it blinded him. It was a pain unlike any he had ever experienced. His muscles grew taut, and his body went rigid. He bit his lip to keep from opening his mouth, and could taste blood welling up inside his mouth.

He grew angry. Angry that these men and women were testing him like some lab rat. Angry at the students watching him. Angry at his father for creating a legacy he was destined to follow. Angry at his mother for birthing him, that he would experience this pain.

Then there was no anger. There wasn't sadness. He couldn't remember joy, or love, or fear. Even pain had been taken from him. He felt nothing, thought nothing, knew nothing.

* * *

"Videl."

Videl didn't stir, even though the nurse spoke with urgency. The nurse wiped Videl's forehead, the towel coming back damp with sweat.

"Videl," the nurse tried again. "If you can hear me, Videl, I need you to wake up." She pressed her fingers against Videl's forehead, feeling incredible heat on the skin.

The door to Videl's small room opened, and Rota Khan walked in. "Has she awoken yet?"

The nurse shook her head. "No. She hasn't. She doesn't even move." The nurse checked Videl's vitals on the machine she was hooked up to. "Her pulse is weak, and her blood pressure has dropped severely in the last few hours. And she's burning up with fever." The nurse shook her head at the futility of the idea. "The Mind Raze was too much for her. I don't think she'll make it."

Rota stared in shock at the limp form of the girl who had just hours ago been alive and well. "There's nothing you can do?"

The nurse shook her head. "No. I've tried everything I know and nothing works. All I can do is make her passing painless."

Rota stared a moment longer, unable to accept the truth before turning and walking out the door, heading back to the lab while deep in thought. How could she be dying right now? She was the most biologically perfect candidate they'd ever had for the integration. She had passed the genetic and mental stages of the tests with flying colors! Why had she not woken from the dream scan?

There were always patients that never woke from the Mind Raze, boys and girls that didn't have the mental capability to integrate with the Psyjic chip. In that event, they always sent them to the Processing Wing, where the scientists would study the reason and try to find workarounds, so that more children would wake from the scan.

Videl Satan had been the pinnacle of human health at her age, though. She shouldn't have failed!

Rota walked back into the lab, sorting through the different scenarios and reasons as to why Videl didn't wake. None of them made sense. She sat at her computer, pulling up Videl's scans, intent on finding a reason why.

She sat there for over an hour, staring at the monitor and pulling up file after file after file, when Elizabeth walked in.

"Still no word?" the brunette asked. Rota shook her head, and for a time, the only sound was Rota's clicks of her mouse. "Rota, you can't blame yourself," Elizabeth said. "These things happen."

"And the minute we accept that as an excuse is the minute we are no better than the Morika." Rota snapped at Elizabeth. "We're better than that. These are children, Elizabeth. Children. We're ruining their lives by sending them into battle, but at least out there, they have a chance. I will not have them die on a table, crippled and defenseless. That's no warrior death." She glared at Elizabeth for a moment longer before turning back to the computer. Elizabeth herself went over to the big overhead computer screen, bringing it online.

"Well then, let's see what we can find out. We know her genetic, physical, and mental scans went well. Perfect, in fact. But the Mind Raze itself proved to be her undoing." Izzy began going through Videl's session in the Mind Raze, looking at her brain activity as the session progressed.

For another hour, the women stood looking over files and recordings, attempting to understand what made their perfect candidate fail. Countless reports made it to the women about the steadily declining health of Videl as the girl fought whatever force had decimated her in the Mind Raze. Several times Rota walked away in frustration, yelling out in anger of being clueless. But she always went back to the computer, intent on finding a cure and saving Videl.

It was when Rota was just about to give up that Izzy came through. "Rota, I think I found something!" The Saiyan appeared by Izzy faster than the eye could track.

"What? What have you found?"

On the screen in front of the brunette was a recording of Videl's session in the Mind Raze, with various wavelengths monitored throughout the session. Izzy pointed at the gamma waves, which showed several spikes and valleys in a normal pattern. "Take a look at the wavelengths. Right here, they're normal. But when the Mind Raze starts, look at what they do." She keyed in a few commands and the current window on the computer shrunk with another one popping up, this one showing a modified gamma wave. The new gamma waves showed increased spikes at alarming frequencies. "This is after we used the Mind Raze to stimulate her brain. Now look at what it goes back to when we end the session." She keyed another command and the second window changed to show another set of gamma waves. There was barely any activity in comparison to the normal patterns. "Something happened in there, Rota. It's like the Mind Raze fried that portion of her mind, or shut it down, or...something."

Rota stared at the screen, explanations going through her head as she struggled to understand what she was seeing. "How could that happen? We've never seen that before."

Izzy shrugged. "I don't know. This is still experimental technology. I can't begin to think of what happened." The two women stood staring at the screen before Rota suggested an idea.

"There's got to be something we can do. Something we can develop to bring her out of that state." She looked at the screen a moment longer before turning to Izzy. "I want you to make a report about this and send all relevant data to the Science Wing. Have them come up with an answer. Their jobs depend on it."

Izzy nodded. "What do we do about Videl?"

Rota sighed, face in the palm of her hand as she considered her options. "I don't know..." She stared at the screens for a time before answering Izzy very softly. "Freeze her. Put her in cryogenic stasis."

"Are you sure we should do that?" Izzy asked. "What will the Council say?"

"Damn it, Izzy, I don't know! What I do know is that the Science Wing had better come up with something. We're not losing this one."

* * *

"Gohan."

Gohan twitched at the sound of his name, feeling returning to his body. He opened his eyes slowly, disoriented from the spinning of the room. He had no memory of how he got into the room, or where the room was. The last thing he remembered was the Mind Raze, and the excruciating pain it caused him before he blacked out. He looked slowly to the side and saw a familiar mustache, before a mouth below it cracked into a smile.

"Ah! You're awake! Splendid!" Dr. Briefs said, too loudly for Gohan's tastes. The scientist didn't notice Gohan's wince at the shout, continuing. "I must say, my boy, you gave us quiet a scare in there."

Gohan blinked, his eyes adjusting to the light, and opened his mouth. All he could manage was a hoarse whisper. Dr. Briefs leaned over him, helping to prop him up as he encouraged him. "Shhh, not so fast." He grabbed a glass of water from a table near Gohan's bed and held it to him, bidding him drink. The cool liquid was the best drink Gohan had ever had. He savored the flavor, feeling rejuvenated as his parched throat drank in the water. He drained the entire glass before the doctor pulled it away, rubbing his back as Gohan swallowed too quickly and fell into a coughing fit.

His coughs subsided, Gohan looked to the doctor. "Where am I, Doctor?"

"You're in the infirmary. You've been here for almost fifteen hours. Quiet unexpected, I must say, but certainly nothing we're not ready for." He looked aside to a type of medical equipment, and when Gohan followed his gaze, he saw that he was hooked up to several machines that seemed to monitored every part of his body. Dr. Briefs fiddled with a monitor, bringing up a reading of gamma waves, beta waves, and alpha waves and studied them for a moment before turning to him with a smile. "You're probably wondering how you did in the Mind Raze." His grin widened. "You passed."

Gohan stared ahead, the words just clicking for him. "I... I passed? But... I blacked out. I couldn't take it."

Dr. Briefs shook his head. "Oh, no, my boy. You passed with flying colors." He smiled again. "Just because you passed out during the test doesn't mean you failed. What we're also looking for is the reaction." Gohan's vacant stare was all the reply he received, so he went into further detail. "You see, the Mind Raze not only determines if you can safely link with a human. It also tests the reaction speed and strength your mind has with what we call the Core. It's a little part of the Mind Raze that mimics a human's mental presence. We grade you depending on your reaction to the Core. We want to make sure that you are not only physically fit to go through the Psyjic Integration, but mentally as well." He fished out a stack of papers from a suitcase on the floor that Gohan didn't see, adjusting his glasses as he studied them. "It wouldn't do well for you to be able to link with your partner, only to be too slow a mind to respond to your partner's mental commands. From our reports, though, we can see that your mental wellbeing is extraordinary. You are certainly capable of achieving Psyjic Integration with a human candidate later this year. If I had to guess, I would suppose your clan subjected you to rigorous training, physically as well as mentally." He looked at Gohan and smiled. "I dare say I haven't seen a candidate as promising as you before."

Gohan just nodded, feeling overwhelmed with all he had learned from the doctor.

Whether Dr. Briefs noticed or cared, Gohan didn't know. He continued with as much vigor as he had. "Later this year you will bond with a human counterpart. This human will be your partner and friend for the rest of your life, however long or short that may be. To prepare you for this bonding, you will be subjected to mental exercises. Calculus, Physics, Chemistry, Philosophy, that sort of thing. It's all to stimulate and strengthen your mind so that no issues will arise from the bonding. We'll also have our psychics teach you to erect mentals walls, so that the bonding goes smoothly."

"Issues?" Gohan asked, feeling slight trepidation.

Dr. Briefs sighed, and Gohan didn't like the feeling he had welling up inside him. "Science between both races has proven that, of the two races, humans have the more powerful mind." He looked Gohan square in the eye. "When a Saiyan and a human mentally bond, it is supposed to be within equal measure. Neither party is mentally stronger than the other. However, tests have shown that when a human mind is linked with another that is completely alien to it, it lashes out. The human, unless trained to supress this urge, cannot control it. We don't know how it happens... It may be that introduction to a new mental presence triggers an innate survival method we've never seen before, or that the cybernetic nodes we implant into the humans causes a severe reaction in the frontal lobe of their brain." He shrugged. "All we know is that the Saiyans that bonded with these humans didn't survive the sudden mental assault. That's why we're taking as many precautions as possible. Trust me, you'll be safe."

Gohan nodded, understanding everything as the doctor said it. It put everything in a new perspective. He knew the doctor couldn't guarantee him safety, but in a way it didn't bother him. He was going to die one day. He changed the subject. "Doctor, maybe it isn't any of my business, but...there was a girl, during the first test, that injured her arm on an electro-vice."

It took Briefs a moment to remember the girl Gohan was talking about, and when the description clicked, he nodded. "Oh yes, Dara. Quite a spitfire, that one."

Gohan briefly thought about asking what he meant before shaking his head of the thought and continuing. "Yes... The scientists said that she failed her test even though she made it to the tents. But she made it to the tents almost as fast as me, and she was injured. I'm just wondering... What will happen to her?"

"Why do you care?" the doctor asked, not unkindly, but more inquisitively.

Gohan shrugged. "I don't know, really. I've just come to respect her. She ran the course with an electro-vice on her arm. That's impressive. I think she deserves another chance."

The doctor nodded. "Indeed. I am not at liberty to discuss the progress of other students," he said, much to Gohan's chagrin. "I can only say that her fate is not your concern, and that asking questions like that will get you in all sorts of trouble.

Gohan nodded, sensing this was a touchy subject and changed it. "What should I expect within the next year? Up to the bonding?"

Dr. Briefs looked up in thought. "Well... We'll be shipping you out to a remote facility orbiting one of Vegeta's moons, where you'll begin training for the Bonding Process. You'll take many classes that will strengthen your brain. We have to make your mind as sharp as possible. We'll also assign you to a psychic, who will give you mental exercises to practice. You'll never be as strong as a human psychic, so don't worry about having to learn to battle with such abilities. Rather, she will train you to defend your mind against mental assaults, the most dangerous form of attack on a Saiyan. Her lessons will not only prepare you for the bonding process with your human, but it will be invaluable for defending yourself in the event your human partner is incapacitated or otherwise indisposed. Apart from that, you will continue physical conditioning aboard the facility, as well as training in proper use of firearms. At that time, you will undergo a final evaluation that will determine if you can successfully bond with a human. If you pass, you and the other passing students will again be shipped out to Earth, where Battle Corps. will take custody of you. It is there that you will be bonded." He pushed up his glasses as he continued. "While you and your Saiyan brothers and sisters are training your minds in preparation for the bonding, the human candidates will be training to control their primal urges. The goal is for them to have complete control of their mind during the bonding, so that they don't accidentally lash out at you. If they do, you'll be prepared." He looked asides he pulled a datapad from his pocket and began scrolling through something. "In the meantime, we'll be looking into this phenomenon and will try to find safer means of integrating you with the humans, perhaps even stop this dangerous side-effect altogether."

"You talk about them as if they could kill us."

Dr. Briefs nodded, all humor gone from his face. "Oh yes. They could kill you in a heartbeat and not even mean to. That's how potent their mental strength will be. You must make sure you are ready for the bonding."

Gohan nodded, feeling determined about his chances. "Okay, what then?"

Dr. Briefs sighed in thought as he continued. "If you survive the bonding process, you and your partner will be put through rigorous exercises that will test your saiyan might and your partner's human mind. We will work to sharpen your abilities until you are capable of wiping out all known forms of Morika warbots, from the lowly Hellion to the mighty Titans. You will be assigned a specialty, and will take courses that will develop that specialty to make you a more effective fighter in certain scenarios."

Dr. Briefs looked as if he were to say something else, but an idea came to Gohan at the last minute, one so interesting he couldn't stop himself from voicing it. "Doctor, you talk about making your own people into a warlike race. Like us Saiyans. And yet I know from the elders of my race that your people despise mine. If it weren't for this war, we would have never coexisted." He cocked his head. "Why are you so easily able to turn your own people into something you hate? All for the sake of war? Isn't keeping your values more important?"

Dr. Briefs stopped, caught offguard. Gohan could see him bristle at his tone. "We humans are unprepared for this war," he said softly. "This is a war we cannot understand. It is a war between gods, not men." He looked at Gohan. "Your race is capable of wiping ours out in a blink of an eye. The Morika can also do this. We had only discovered space travel when your race found ours, and from that brief contact, many of my people died. Your race is composed of killing machines, Gohan. It is what you are born to do. What use are values if we aren't alive to think of them? If we humans don't take steps to level the playing field, we might not survive this war."

That, Gohan admitted, was a distinct possibility.

* * *

Videl Satan's naked body lay on the table, unmoving. It was as if she were sleeping, and that she would wake any moment now, ready to continue the tests with the same silent determination that Rota had come to respect. Rota turned away, however, knowing that Videl was only silent now, and may be silent for a long time.

The hydraulics whirred as the table was placed into the cryogenic casket, the lid closing with a hiss. Elizabeth was there to authorize the process and activated the freezing. The scientists rolled the girl away to be stored while a solution was found. Rota sighed as she walked out of the cold room, her feet heading towards the laboratory, but her mind wandering far off. She kept going over theories and hypotheses as to why Videl had suddenly gone silent when she went through the Mind Raze. She had passed with flying colors, a rarity that Rota thought was worth fighting over. To date, Videl Satan was the only human to pass her physical and mental tests with more than a 90% synchronization rate.

So why did something inexplicably wrong happen in the Mind Raze?

She knew she was out of her league here. While she had topped the charts in genetics, she was no neurologist, and that was what Videl needed now. She had sent an email to her superiors, detailing the situation and requested that they dispatch a neurologist to her facility. Now she played the waiting game, where her boss would undoubtedly have someone else look over the request, the request would be sent in, and dozens of people would simply skim the email before someone decided to do something about it. Meanwhile, their best candidate was lying frozen in stasis, awaiting her sentence, and Rota was left with nothing to do about it but sit on her ass.

At least, that would be the official response to her request. Rota was either more foolish or courageous than most, and wouldn't wait to hear back from the higher ups. She strode through the lab, avoiding the scientists as she passed by several tables and research centers, already coming to terms with the possible consequences she might face when she did what she was going to do.

She passed through several hallways before entering her office, closing the door behind her and sitting at her desk. She grabbed the directory to the Battle Corp. facilities across the world, flipping through the pages before stopping at the one page she needed. She picked up the receiver of her phone, dialing the number on the page before settling in to wait. Oddly enough, she didn't wait long. The woman on the other line confirmed that she had reached the right party.

"Yes, I need to speak to the Director. Immediately."

**. . . . .**

**Please alert me to any mistakes or inconsistencies you may find.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. The Conspiracy

**A/N: Please keep an eye out for any grammatical or continuity errors.**

**For those with questions still, the children are 7. **

**I appreciate you taking the time to read my fictions. I hope this chapter exceeds your expectations.**

* * *

**4 months later...**

Sergeant Jhorn Vosker looked out across the classroom as his students studied their selected material for the day, each staring intently at his or her holoscreen as the programs relayed the information from the main data node to the children. The 'classroom' was really just a very large and spacious room with a high ceiling and a balcony circling the wall, where instructors would look down on the children to note their progress. Each child sat exactly 5.82 feet away from the others in all directions, and was to study from the holoscreen for four hours every day. They were not to look up from the screen for any reason, unless addressed by a superior, and then they were stand, salute, and avert their eyes in humility when being spoken to. It was to teach them respect as much as the chain of command, a lesson Jhorn knew would save their life one day.

Today they were learning trigonometric substitution, a branch of Calculus that the multiracial Board of Training and Evaluation required every Saiyan to pass before Psyjic Integration. Many of the Saiyans were simply building upon what they had learned during their initiation years, but on a more advanced scale. It still proved to be difficult for them, or the exercise would have had no point, but Jhorn's gaze lingered on one particular student who had completed his exercise twice now and was working on his third attempt.

Subject 97 had overcome all his exercises thus far, and was working on them again and again, much to Jhorn's surprise. The boy had only missed two of the three hundred problems on his first attempt, but scored a one hundred percent score on his second. Jhorn modified the boy's exercises, replacing his original with a second set, but it only threw 97 off for a moment before the boy dove into the problems again. He was approaching his 183rd problem and had only missed one problem, leaving Jhorn impressed. He lifted his wrist-com up to his mouth as he spoke. "Baggart, c'mere. You need to see this." He lowered his hand and continued watching the boy as he solved problem after problem, most without writing any work out to help him along. Jhorn watched as the boy went from one problem to the next, and though he prided himself on his math skills - it's why he was chosen as their overseer during this block - he couldn't keep up with the boy. His mind was working at a furious pace, and Jhorn watched with amazement as the boy displayed a rare intelligence.

Heavy footfalls marked the arrival of the senior officer and overseer, Baggart Hvikon. The bigger man looked down on his inferior, his bald head shining in the bright light of the facility. "What is it, Jhorn?" the other Saiyan asked, his voice reflecting impatience.

Jhorn simply pointed at 97. Baggart squinted at the boy for a moment before looking at Jhorn. "Subject 97... What did you drag me down here for? Show me the boy's mop of hair? His clanless gi?"

Jhorn shook his head. "His score."

Baggart looked back at the boy before bringing up a streamed copy of his screen on the overseer's vidscreen. From this, Baggart could clearly see Jhorn's point. "_Mehr'feyt._.." Jhorn winced slightly at his superior's curse but remained silent. It was improper to use foul language among your troops, but worse still would be to point that out to your superior. Baggart looked to Jhorn. "Have you given him different tests, or is this the same one he was assigned at the beginning of the exercises?

Jhorn nodded. "I've changed it, sir. I've even upped the difficulty halfway through his second run. It slowed him down briefly, but he's adapted." He stood, silently watching his superior watch the vidscreen for a moment before daring an interruption. "Could we speed up his training? Or do we keep him at this level?"

Baggart didn't answer for a time, simply observing the boy. "We'll keep him here for now. I want to see his progress with the other courses over the span of a week before I take it to my superiors." He turned to Jhorn. "What's his name?"

Jhorn looked out across the room as he spoke a single word. "Gohan."

* * *

Elizabeth Zeier frowned as she clicked her pen off. Another failure, she thought to herself, staring sadly at the results on the computer screen. "Amanda Brown", the screen read. "Synchronization Result: 28% Success." The screen listed over a dozen reasons for the low synchronization rate, but to Amanda, reasons wouldn't mean anything. The girl was destined to be assigned to the Worker's or Servicemen's Corp., living out her life under strict martial laws and regulations, her every move dictated for the rest of her life. Elizabeth sighed. Such was the way for all humans that failed the Bonding Test.

Every child that failed the Bonding Test was still expected to contribute to the war effort in some way. Whether they were assigned to be launderers, cooks, mechanics, translators, administrators or more was decided by a rigorous Aptitude Test at the end of adolesence. Amanda was guaranteed to live in a stricter and less funded part of the war, where her talents would be ignored in favor of a smooth system supporting the warriors on the battlefield. It was a reasonable assumption that the girl would even die before living to bear children or marry a loved one. Elizabeth looked at the little girl staring nervously at her feet, her black hair tumbling into her face to hide her beautiful brown eyes. The girl had been a straight-A student at her school. It was a shame her talents would probably never be realized. Elizabeth couldn't find an easy way to tell the young girl of her fate.

Rota could, however. The Saiyan wasted no time in calling a corpsman to escort the girl out. "Sorry, Amanda. You've failed. The corpsman will show you out." She stepped aside as a man in a white uniform entered the room and waited politely for the young girl. Amanda looked to Elizabeth, as if to ask what that meant, but looked to be too terrified to even voice her misgivings. With silent acceptance, the girl hopped off the table, replaced her clothes, and walked out with the corpsman.

Elizabeth waited until the corpsman had closed the door before turning to Rota, clipboard under her arm. "Rota, what's wrong?"

The Saiyan ignored her, gathering Amanda's documents to be shredded and attempting to walk past her. Elizabeth stepped in front of her, though, blocking her path.

A dangerous move.

It was a gesture that instantly marked defiance to a Saiyan, a wordless challenge that dared the Saiyan to confront the issuer.

In any other scenario, with any other Saiyan, Elizabeth would have probably died. Rota, however, stood a mere inch from Elizabeth, staring into her eyes, seeing if the human would back down. Elizabeth didn't. She instead used the powerful position Rota had inadvertently given her - a position of an equal - to ask her question again.

"What's wrong?"

Rota blinked, her brow twitching with what Elizabeth knew to be a seething rage. "I can't fathom why we have to continue screening these girls for promising subjects when we have a girl that outclasses anyone else we've seen since opening this facility sitting in an ice cube, forgotten to the world." She stepped away from Elizabeth, throwing the folder with Amanda Brown's files in it, scattering papers everywhere. "It's been four months since I put in a request for Direct Response, and still nothing. I would have expected these girls to mean more to the Director than that!"

Elizabeth inwardly flinched; there were cameras everywhere throughout the facility, even here. To hear of such disrespect toward the Director was sure to invite swift discipline. She stepped toward Rota, bending to gather the papers all across the floor as she spoke. "You know the Director is busy."

"This girl could change the way we battle those monsters, Izzy!" Rota yelled. "Every day, more of my people die. Every month, an entire planet dies. You and I both know the bond is only just keeping us on the playing field. We need to do something to change that, something to give us the advantage!"

Elizabeth nodded, still picking up papers. "I know. Rota, I want this war to end just as much as you. But you and I are just scientists in this thing. We can only do so much."

Rota was hesitant a moment before wheeling around to look at Elizabeth. "But what if we could do more?" Elizabeth hesitated, unsure of Rota's meaning and the Saiyan closed the distance between the two of them, repeating her question. "What if we could do more, Izzy? What if we could somehow give the Saiyan and Human bondmates an advantage? We have the research, and I know you've toyed with the idea of presenting several theories to the Director to increase favorable results during bonding. I've seen your work; it's phenomenal stuff, and I know it would increase the efficiency of the bonded on the battlefields."

Elizabeth looked quickly over her shoulder, feeling treasonous for even listening to such an idea. "Rota, they'd kill us for sure! The Director controls all of Battle Corps. with an iron fist. She would never let us get away with it!"

"Of course she wouldn't! That's why we have to do this ourselves. The Council and the Director are going too slow on this. I understand the need to be cautious with this technology, but the Morika won't wait for us to make sure the research doesn't give us queasy stomachs. We have to be aggressive, and your research is just what this galaxy needs. I have contacts across the galaxy that could help us, and your research could very well be a turning point we need to put an end to this war." She pointed at Elizabeth's chest. "You've always wanted to make a difference. Now that you're being given a chance, you're going to back out?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "No, it's just..." She couldn't find a way to voice her misgivings. Her research was pure fantasy, a way to turn an already-made supersoldier into something more, to further even a Saiyan's might into an unstoppable juggernaut. The Battle Bond program was powerful, beating back the Morika even as they spoke, but Elizabeth had always toyed with an idea that could speed up the battles and win the war much quicker than predicted. Human supersoldiers could literally survive in any atmosphere, filter poison organically, shut off parts of their brain to sleep while still remaining awake, functioning on only four hours of sleep a day, and more. With her research, she could return Saiyans to their glory days, capable of defeating enemies without the need for technology. The Morika had already evolved past the saiyans' power; a saiyan's energy attacks simply bounced off kinetic shields now, and Morika armaments would punch right through a saiyan's body. The once-powerful warrior race was reduced to using firearms and heavy armor to survive battle, something Izzy knew was a low point in their history. "Say we succeed... Say we put some of my theories to work and everything works out... We'll still have to admit treasonous work to the Council."

"And?" Rota said, unwavering. "In doing so, we'll offer them a weapon they can't afford to throw away. They'll forgive us if we make the bondmates as strong as you forsee them."

Elizabeth sighed, toying with her hair as she stared at Rota's determined gaze. "How will we do it?"

Rota smiled wickedly. "I know of someone that could help with everything. But he'll need to see the research before he does anything."

Izzy still remained unsure. "I don't know... Let me think about it."

Rota's excitement fell upon seeing her friend still fighting her fear - a lesser fear than the one she should be feeling. She was fearing legal retribution when the extinction of their race was upon them. "Fine. Think about it. When you have an answer, you know where to find me." Without another word, the Saiyan departed, leaving Izzy hopelessly confused about her future.

* * *

Gohan walked into the cafeteria, the sound of chatter and yelling overwhelming his ears almost immediately. Boys and girls, all of them his age, sat talking about their training exercises, or their test scores and the like. It was one of the few times they could act like normal children. Like he always did, however, Gohan ignored all of the other Saiyans and walked up to the serving counter, where he grabbed a tray, placed it in the Food Dispenser, placed his hand on the Bio-Reader to identify himself and waited as the machine rationed a perfect balance of nutrition and calories, measured exactly to his body's specific needs. What was dispensed into the tray was less appealing than he was led to believe the first time he had used the machine: a thick, gritty paste, a block of what at first looked to be red clay, and brown, grainy bread. He grabbed a water pouch off to the side, placed it on his tray, and looked for an unoccupied table.

The other Saiyans ignored him, recognizing him only as a halfbreed from his appearance; the children hadn't made the connection that he was the son of Goku. It was entirely possible they didn't even know who Goku was yet. All they knew was Gohan was a combination of Saiyan and human. Supposedly, those with mixed blood were tainted, destined to serve other Saiyans. Halfbreeds were even lower than third-class Saiyans. Gohan didn't care; he preferred the seclusion. Gohan wasn't exactly antisocial, but the other children here were only a distraction. They hadn't let the idea fully sink in that they were going to war, and were still acting like kids; immature, playing around, joking about the Morika, and the like. Gohan didn't want that attitude to rub off on him and so kept to himself, mentally training himself with meditations and mental exercises the instructors suggested the children practice during their free time.

That, and they talked too much.

Gohan sat eating by himself for most of the allotted 30 minutes they were allowed, and was about to call the lunch period another favored part of his day when three Saiyan boys walked up and sat at his table uninvited. Gohan continued eating but inwardly prepared himself for anything; the last time someone sat at his table, she had been meaning to take his food, as the current rations were a little less than most were used to. That had ended with the girl being taken to the infirmary.

"So," the middle boy started, and Gohan had unconsciously classified him as the leader; they usually were the first to instigate something. "Benny and Drake here were wondering just how long a clanless halfbreed will last here. I bet them a week's rations you wouldn't last long enough to bond with a human." Gohan ignored them and began eating the red, clayish food. He didn't even look them in the eye, which seemed to annoy them. Leader tapped on the table, leaning down to look Gohan in the eye. "Hey, you listening to me?" Gohan continued eating, and Leader looked back at his friends with a smile. "Looks like the halfbreed is too scared to confront us." All three chuckled, but Gohan continued ignoring them. Leader reached up and poked Gohan's cheek. Gohan froze. "Hey. It's not polite to ignore someone." He reached up to poke Gohan again...

...and Gohan's hand grabbed the Leader's fist and bent it back violently, seeing the skin rip and hearing the wrist snap. Startled, the Leader cried out in pain and tried to remove his hand, but Gohan's grip was unbreakable. He glared at them, his face one of concentration as he watched the three Saiyans. He gave credit to the leader; the boy's wrist was bleeding and the whole joint was broken, but he didn't whimper or cry. He faced him down like a warrior. Benny and Drake both stood, arms flexed as they readied themselves for battle. The rest of the cafeteria had grown silent, watching the scene unfold. The leader stared at Gohan in stunned silence before swinging his free fist at Gohan's face. In one swift motion, Gohan had released the Leader's wrist and shoved his tray into the boy's face. In a shower of food, the boy fell off the seat and to the floor. In that same moment, Gohan was up and ready for combat.

Benny launched himself at Gohan, stepping onto the table to cross the distance and deliver a vicious kick to the clanless boy's face. Gohan's hand found his foot and simply lifted. Benny's momentum carried him forward as the boy twisted in the air. Disoriented, he couldn't block Gohan's downward swing, taking the fist into the face only to be driven into the bench seat on the opposite side of the table. Blood poured from Benny's nose and mouth, several teeth being knocked out.

The leader was back up, rage filling his eyes. He was cradling his injured arm close to his chest, but was ready to fight with his good arm. He yelled and flipped the table, running forward to strike at Gohan as the Saiyan was distracted by the flying hunk of metal. He was surprised, of course, when he saw the table stop in midair only to come slamming down on top of him. The last thing he saw was a pair of hands releasing the table.

Drake had come around the table, vying to be more cautious than his two friends. His fists were up in a traditional stance, but Gohan made no move to lower himself into a stance. He simply stood with his arms limp, glaring at Drake as if daring him to approach. Drake moved in quickly, hoping to surprise his opponent long enough to jab at his jaw. If he could just break it...

...but Gohan simply dodged, twisting his torso to the left. His feet hadn't even moved. Using his foe's momentary surprise to his advantage, he drove his knee into Drake's stomach, bending the Saiyan over in pain. A swift uppercut with the left fist sent Drake's head flying back, but Gohan grabbed the back of it with his free hand. For a moment, he held Drake like that, looking into his eyes, as if willing him to remember his face. Drake spit blood into Gohan's face, but Gohan didn't react to the insult. He simply slammed Drake's head into the table, letting the unconscious body drop unceremoniously to the ground. He must have knocked out some teeth or broke his nose as well, as blood began to pool under the boy's face.

Silence followed. The rest of the pupils were unsure of this event. Some whispered excitedly, but most were too afraid to say anything, knowing that the authorities absolutely forbid combat outside supervised training exercises, and that to show support of the fight would bring down swift discipline. Gohan knew what to expect and had decided to comply. He knew the rules concerning aggressors and was confident the Leader and his cohorts would be branded as such. He had done nothing wrong. Even his status as a halfbreed wouldn't see him in the wrong; his heritage would see to that.

When the riot guards appeared holding stun blasters and kinetic shields, they found a boy on his knees, hands behind his head, surrounded by three limp bodies and covered in blood.

* * *

Elizabeth Zeier stood as straight as her spine could go, wishing that she had worn something else besides heels at a time like this. Her eyebrow itched like mad but she did nothing to satisfy it; she was fighting a greater discomfort at the moment. Moments after Rota had left, a nurse had reported to Elizabeth that the Council would like to see her - they had even convened solely for her. That wasn't good, and as she stared straight ahead at five pairs of eyes scrutinizing her, for the first time in her life, she wanted a drink.

"Ms. Zeier," the middle man said, a big black man that seemed more at home as a bouncer than as Head Councilor of the board. With a shaved head, sunglasses covering his eyes, and protruding mouth in a scowl, he made for an intimidating figure. Nevermind the fact that he was one step below the Director. "I have called this meeting to discuss the fate of one of your test subjects."

She nodded. "Yes, Mr. Cobra."

He glanced at papers in front of him, gesturing to them as he spoke. "Three months ago, you admitted a young girl into the training program. Videl Satan. Videl showed much promise during the initial phases of testing. I believe that much was obvious from the demonstration we received when we visited your facility at that time." Elizabeth's mind reflected back to that moment, when Videl had been overcome with the aftereffects of acitophalyn, a drug used to predict compatibility with the Psyjic chip. "However," Cobra continued, "she seemed to have suffered an unforeseen accident inside the Mind Raze, rendering her comatose and slipping every moment closer to death. You froze her to stop her declining health, blatantly disregarding the purpose for which a cryo-capsule is to be used. Your associate, Rota Khan, exercised her authority over the Science Wing to restrict access to the cryo-chamber, and dedicated portions of Battle Corps' funding to keeping this girl alive, despite all evidence that pointed to this girl's doomed fate. You even managed to divert our attention away from the costs the cryo-capsule was building, until a very recent inspection at your facility brought your insubordination to light." He set the papers down, removing his eyeglasses to look at Zeier unhindered. "You are costing Battle Corps. six thousand dollars for every hour that Videl's cryo-capsule is active. Can you think of one good reason why I shouldn't fire you and your associate right now, pull the plug on that girl's capsule, and call it a day?"

Elizabeth gulped. "Well..." she began, halfway expecting to be interrupted by Cobra or his associates. She was relieved when they remained silent, if not genuinely interested in her reasons, then at least pretending to be. "Videl Satan is a remarkable biological subject. She passed her integration tests with a 90% synchronization rate, the highest we've ever seen in a human being. Her bone and muscle density shows promise, as well, and her genetic makeup is unique in that it is projected to achieve a seamless bond with the Psyjic chip, creating the best of both physical and mental abilities. If not because she is most likely the most valuable asset we humans possess, we keep her suspended because she's a rare scientific find, and we may never get this opportunity to study her again."

Whatever Cobra was hoping to hear, this was apparently not it. Shaking his head with a sigh, he replaced his sunglasses as he gathered up his papers. "And that is why we are pulling the plug anyway. You look at this as some sort of scientific field day, not as a program that helps us select warriors to save our race." He tapped the papers on the table to straighten them out as he continued. "With the amount of money we have spent on your subject, we could have built a few dozen cruisers." His tone was quiet, but deadly, and he sighed as he put the papers into a folder and stared at Zeier, hands steeples in front of him. "Why did you do it?" he finally asked. "You've been a remarkable employee for almost ten years. In that time, you've contributed to the bonding program significantly. You wouldn't make this decision without reason."

He waited for her, and for a moment, Elizabeth tossed around the idea of telling them about her research. It would certainly make sense, and when they saw it, they might go for it. They might forgive her and even start research on her theory.

"_These ideas are sick, Izzy!"_ she suddenly remembered, having presented the idea to her superior three years ago during her time in the R&D department. She had applied for a transfer to the Testing and Training program afterwards, her superior's seething glare getting the better of her.

She shook her head. "I just didn't think it would be a good idea." She folded her hands in front of her, knowing the reply was weak, but knowing she couldn't reveal her theories to the Councilors. "We could find something that could bring her out of her coma. We just needed more time. Videl has so much potential. I just thought we should give her another chance."

Cobra nodded. "You know, you also possessed much potential. Unfortunately, you won't be receiving a second chance." He stood, and the other Councilors stood with him. He stuck out an open hand. "Hand me your badge."

Elizabeth hesitated, fully expecting this turn of events but still being surprised all the same. Slowly, with trembling hands, she unclipped her badge and handed it to the Councilor, who stowed the badge away before looking at Zeier with something that resembled pity. Or perhaps disgust? She couldn't tell, not with his sunglasses on. Finally, he offered her his hand.

"I'm truly sorry it came to this. You are a remarkable person, and are worthy of the prestige you received here." They clasped hands, and Elizabeth couldn't help but smile at him.

"Sometimes, caring too much is an obstacle in our line of work."

Cobra smiled. "But it keeps us human."

Elizabeth nodded and turned to leave. She had made it to the door when Cobra called her name.

"I know you had a reason for what you did. A reason that went beyond feelings. I've worked with you for too long to know that you would make such a drastic decision over a girl's chance of death." He closed the distance between them as he removed his sunglasses. "Whatever that reason is, I hope it was worth your job. We needed you."

Elizabeth smiled. "Don't worry. I'm not finished yet." She turned and left the room, knowing where Rota would be.

* * *

Gohan stood at attention as two officers circled him, their scowls supposed to be threatening but falling short. Gohan wasn't afraid of these men; he could kill them in a second and his feet wouldn't even move from their current position. But he was afraid. Afraid of what these men represented.

He was called here from his classes unexpectedly and swiftly. No one told him what he was being summoned about, or by whom, only that he was to report to the Board's conference room immediately. He was there within two minutes of being told to report there, and though he considered that to be an admirable time to appear for a summons, these two brutes didn't think so. They had shown up four minutes after Gohan had been standing at attention, waiting for whoever was to meet him, and hadn't taken eyes off of him since.

The room he was in was fairly large, holding tables in the shape of an inverted "U". The room was an antiseptic white and smelled faintly of risten, a favored morning drink for Saiyans. Chairs were lined at the table, capable of seating thirteen, including the middle table, which sat three. Here was the room that the Board of Training and Evaluation congregated, deciding the future of initiates like himself. Considering the reputation of the place, the two officers circling him seemed out of place.

One was bald with a goatee, bigger than most of the other officers he had encountered here. He carried himself with arrogance, and Gohan saw him sneering down at him whenever he passed. He was big, muscular, and made sure others knew it. He probably suspected he could crush him right now, and took pride in that fact. Gohan didn't give him a second thought after observing him.

The other was more subtle about his supposed superiority, but Gohan could tell it was there all the same. The man seemed to gaze at Gohan with interest or curiosity, but once or twice Gohan had caught a small smirk, taking that as an assumption that the man thought he could beat him. Gohan wanted to sigh, but restrained himself; standing at attention, ignoring these two and their overbearing stares was sure to be some sort of test, he told himself. He would wait until whoever had called him appeared. It couldn't be these two, and so he gave them no more thought.

He was rewarded for his patience merely seconds after thinking those thoughts, as the wall in front of him slid away to reveal a second, smaller chamber. Out stepped a man, skinnier than the other two and frail-looking, but Gohan could instantly tell this man was anything but frail. The way he carried himself, the way he looked at Gohan, even the way he walked told Gohan he should take this man seriously.

The man walked around the tables, never taking his eyes of Gohan. Gohan himself stood at attention, keeping his eyes forward, though he suspected the man caught him watching him. The man walked in front of Gohan, stopping directly in front of him, hands behind his back and stared at him. Gohan took a good look at him then, noticing that the man was dressed in a marako, an outfit Saiyans wore to events too formal for armor. It consisted of a heavier outer jacket, reaching the knees, and an inner jacket that wrapped around the Saiyan's midsection to button on the side, leaving the chest and midsection clear of any obstructions. He briefly wondered what the man was doing wearing such an outfit before the man interrupted his thoughts with a simple question.

"You are Son Gohan, yes?"

"Yes, sir!" Gohan answered. He had used the universal "sir" to show respect, given that the uniform didn't have any indication of rank. For all he knew, Gohan was in the presence of the Director of Battle Corps. The man looked familiar, though, and Gohan couldn't shake the feeling that he should know this man.

"Hm... pity. I was expecting a little more from you, given the reports. For one thing, you seem a bit on the short side."

Gohan must've faltered, because the man smiled. Still, the comment didn't require a response, and so Gohan said nothing.

The man began circling Gohan, hands still behind his back, and Gohan had the strange feeling he was being considered, as if a customer would inspect a product before purchasing it. "You have been here at this facility for two months. Given that time, you have completed all known programs that are designed to test and break the physical and mental limits of the Saiyans housed here, all with perfect scores. You have proven to be a tactical genius, mathematical prodigy, a martial arts expert, and perfect soldier." He stopped in front of Gohan. "I must say, I am impressed with your records. I haven't seen such a performance since your father was here, and even he took a year to achieve what you have done."

Gohan suddenly recognized the man and unconsciously stood straighter. This was Commander Vyorak Stone, the current Harbinger to the King. _I thought he was supposed to be leading the war effort,_ Gohan thought. He wondered why such a prestigious member of the Royal Navy was here. Why was he summoned by the man? That couldn't be good. Gohan went through his time here at the facility ever since being shipped off Sakesh, but he couldn't find anything that would warrant a personal audience with the most decorated Saiyan in existence. There was that time in the cafeteria, but that was a simple brawl. Why was he here?

"I'll get to the point, Gohan. I was summoned by the chief officer of this facility in part due to your progress here. Chief Officer Hvikon has been sending me your results concerning all your training exercises, and at the last report, I took a personal interest. You have exceeded all expectations in such a short time that I can't help but wonder if this facility is beneath your notice. You certainly aren't making any progress here in terms of abilities. This facility is meant to push you to your limits, but if anything, it's merely keeping you warmed up. I'm therefore offering you a chance to train with elite S7 squads back on Vegeta, to keep _them_ warmed up until they ship out into combat. It will be rigorous, and they are remarkably well-skilled, but considering what I've seen you do, I'd like to bet you can hold your own against the veterans." Stone smiled. "What do you say?"

Gohan hesitated for only a moment before he answered, but in that time, so many thoughts went through his head. A chance to train with the elite S7? He was only seven years old, and the Harbinger of the Navy, the _Harbinger_ thought he could hold his own with the best of the best. But what if he couldn't? What if the Harbinger was only setting him up for something? What if his performance was such an upstart to the facility, that it made it look bad, and this was the facility's way of getting back at him? "Sir, I don't understand."

"This decision has been weighed by several parties for the last three weeks, Gohan. You are ready for the Bonding. We needed to know what to do with you until the Bonding process simply because you are a distraction here." Stone waved his arms to indicate the entire facility. "Every program you compete in, you discourage the other initiates. No one competes with you willingly anymore, simply because they cannot beat you. They are afraid of you, and the scariest part to them is you don't even care." The Harbinger leaned down and looked Gohan straight in the eye. "So I'm going to put you somewhere where you will not be feared. You will be mocked. You will be scorned. You will be ridiculed. The others will think you a joke, and will not take you seriously until you train with them. And once they see your strength, they will realize just how serious you are." He straightened and crossed his arms. "I'd like to see just how strong you can be, and you'll never realize your true potential here. What do you say?"

For the first time since entering the room, Gohan allowed himself to show a little pride. His skills were noticed. And he was being given a chance to get even stronger, fighting against the legendary S7s. It was a chance that would never come around again. How could he refuse?

* * *

Despite being a culture centralized around war and battle, the Saiyan homeworld of Vegeta housed many businesses that provided entertainments of other types. The capital city of Iro housed some of the most extraordinary forms of entertainment to Saiyan culture: casinos, brothels, hotels, restaurants, races, wrestling, and all other sorts of entertainment a Saiyan might need while on R&R. The city of Iro was a monument to the Saiyans themselves: a huge city with most buildings well over one thousand stories, thousands of skylanes and a population of over one hundred million Saiyans and humans. The city was kept remarkably clean despite the number of people living among her streets, and with the Saiyan technology producing pollutant-free skycars, the city was a surprisingly good place to live in. If not for the war, it could almost seem a normal place to live.

Rota had once thought about living here. She had met a man once that had seemed honest and worthy, and had even considered settling down with him here to raise children. Her story was much like most of the other Saiyans that had experienced the war, though. Her settlement was attacked, and her mate killed during the defense of the town. She had grieved like any other Saiyan woman would have; he wasn't strong enough to protect her, and she moved on. She still thought about him though, about how gentle he was, and his unnatural, but sexy love of poetry. She really missed him. Coming back to this city reminded her of all those times she had spent with him here. The war had taken so much from her, and she still couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel. She promised herself, though, that at any cost, she would see this war finished.

She watched the buildings fly by from her window in the taxi car as she reviewed her reason for being here.

Her mate had had a friend in the military years ago, before he had retired from grevious wounds to his limbs. He had gained incredible wealth from his injuries and backpay, as well as cashing in some of the insurance policies he had obtained for the war. Now he lived his days as an information broker, and had become very successful at the business. He had been one of the only ones that grieved with her over the loss of her mate, and helped her get back on her feet when she had finally put him to rest. He was the reason she was where she was on the first place, and though she wasn't particularly happy with her lot in life, she understood the prestige and importance of her work and was thankful for his help getting her where she was today. In truth, she owed him one.

And now she was looking for another favor.

She wondered what he'd do when he saw her. What he'd say. He'd probably be happy to see her. Maybe even happy to see her even after she asked for the favor. But she knew he'd ask why. She was asking for a lot, and so he'd want to know where his money was going before he promised his support. That's where she began to feel nervous. She needed this to go right, or it was quite possible she and Izzy would be out of luck. She had nothing to bribe him with, not with the amount of money she was planning on asking for. And he wouldn't be the kind of guy to ask for other favors, not that she would indulge him anyway.

She sighed. She'd just have to see how it played out.

The taxi pulled onto a landing pad to a local bar in the slum part of town, parking just long enough for her to get out, pay her fare, and walk away from the taxi before taking off into the air. Rota turned and walked to the door, opening the heavy metal door and walking into the bar. Immediately her senses were assaulted by the smell of cheap hydons, urquall and sex. It was both familiar and uncomforting at the same time. She hadn't touched urquall in years, determined to stay dry for the remainder of her time at Battle Corps. Her restraint was strong, but she still felt a small craving deep in her stomach.

She put away her past, focusing on the now. The bar was dimly lit, like every bar should be, and a think haze of hydon smoke hung in the air. There were Saiyans laughing boisterously at the bar itself, and more reserved Saiyan-Human groups at booths or tables around the building. Rota looked for her booth in the farthest, darkest corner of the bar and was relieved to see Ayo had actually come and was sitting there, watching the crowd with a critical eye. He found her among the crowd and, after a moment of surprised recognition, beckoned her over. She wondered what was going through his head right now. She hadn't told him who she was or why they should meet when she had contacted him, and so this reunion would come as a shock to him. She sat across from him, looking for any hint of emotion in his face. There was none. They sat, staring at each other for almost a full minute before he spoke.

"You look good, Rota. It's been a long time." he began, concern appearing on his face. "What brings you to me after all these years? Are you in trouble?"

Rota shrugged. "Not yet. But I might be soon, depending on what you say." Ayo raised his eyebrows and Rota continued. "You know the Bonding Project you helped me get into a few years back?" Ayo nodded. "We've discovered a breakthrough. A method that will create stronger Saiyans and Humans than we ever thought possible. My coworker is one of the leading experts on the Bonding Program, but has developed new research that could turn the tide of war. If we go through with it, we just very well might create a supersoldier capable of defeating a Titan alone." Ayo's expression was enough to let Rota know he was interested, and she used the momentum of the conversation to continue with her favor. "The only problem is that it deals in Saiyan and Human experimentation. Even more than the humans did. It would never get past the hierarchy. It would have to be behind the scenes. Secret. No one but the most trusted individuals would know of the project's existence."

"What exactly are we talking about, Rota? I need specifics before I get involved."

Rota looked around, convinced that no one was paying attention to them but resolving to be cautious all the same. "I can't say much here. Suffice it to say, this could change the war and our chances of winning." Ayo looked away, unconvinced, and Rota reached out and laid a hand on his, drawing his gaze back to her. "Ayo, I owe you one. And now it's about to be two. But this will make up for it by far. You're just going to have to trust me."

Ayo sat in silence for a moment, mulling over the implications as well as the risks before saying, "So what exactly are you looking for, Rota? Contacts? Information? Funding?"

"Everything you can spare. I need all the money you can raise, I need every scientist you can trust, I need mercenary teams that don't ask questions and I need a back door that no one knows about."

"A back door?"

Rota nodded. "Most of our information on the Bonding Project is classified. It can't be copied to an outside source without alerting the officials. I need to be able to access anything in that database from an unmarked location without drawing attention." She let out a breath, unaware until now just how quickly she had been talking about this. She must have been really nervous about this after all. "What do you say?"

Ayo let out a breath. "Rota, I don't see how that convinces me." She felt her stomach drop as he continued. "I need to see something, something concrete that I can believe in. If I'm going to dedicate resources to a cause, I need to know it's worth my attention. You get me something I can follow, and we'll talk business." He leaned back, crossing his arms and Rota knew he couldn't be swayed by words alone.

She sighed. "Alright. Come with me. I'll show you my friend's research. You can make of it what you will." She stood and without waiting to see if he was behind her, walked out of the establishment. As she walked out onto the landing pad, she could hear him behind her, and she felt relief. She was afraid he wouldn't even considering to look at her proposition. She must have really interested him.

"Did you use a taxi?" She nodded. "Then we'll take my car. If this is supposed to be under the carpet, we don't want anyone but us knowing about it." He clicked the top of his capsule and threw it in front of them, where a sleek, red skycar appeared. They climbed inside and took off into the air. Rota directed him to the hotel she was staying at, all the while wondering what he'd think when he saw the plans.

**. . . . .**

Rota sat impatiently as Ayo stood over the massive stack of papers, looking through the research Elizabeth had compiled for the project. She couldn't stop fidgeting. She was never this nervous before, and yet she couldn't help but feel that Ayo held her life, her future in his hands. A ridiculous feeling, considering her life might be over anyway if she goes through with this idea... But she still couldn't feel comfortable. She wanted an answer now.

"Well?" She asked, unable to wait any longer.

He put down the papers he was looking at, sitting down in the chair near the desk he had been standing over, silent for a time. "What you're planning to do here..." He looked at her. "It's monstrous."

Rota flinched. "I know. And if there was any other way, I'd take it. The last thing I want to do is to do this to children." She stood, steeling herself against her doubts. She needed to believe in this project now more than ever. "I don't see any other way out though, Ayo. I want to end this war, and we have an opportunity to do so. Countless generations of children will never have to experience war if this research proves right."

"But would you really be able to sleep at night knowing that you did this to children?" He yelled. "Mehr'feyt, Rota! What the humans did was extreme, but this..." He gestured to the stacks of papers. "Will they even be human? Saiyan? Or just monsters?" Rota stayed silent. "And what about after the war? Say we win. What happens to these kids? They'll never have a normal life again."

Rota scowled. "Their innocence was doomed the moment we agreed to give our children to the humans. Our children are killing at the age of ten. They aren't even graduating from school before they kill a man."

"Yes, but at least we didn't do it to the kids. Here, you're actively experimenting on them! You can't even give them anesthetics!"

"Then what would you have me do!?" She screamed. She saw Ayo go on the defensive and realized she had powered up as if for battle. "I'm sick of sending kids out into the battlefield with only a minimal chance of survival! The last child I sent into the Integration program only had a 28% chance of surviving the chip!" She slammed her fist on the table, shattering it and sending papers flying everywhere. "Perhaps our methods are monstrous, but I can live with that knowing I gave those kids the best chance they have to _survive!"_

Her outburst silenced Ayo for a long time. He stood looking at her, doubt still on his face, when he finally decided to speak. "Can this really help them survive? Will they even live through the surgeries?"

Rota nodded, lowering her power level and calming her breathing as she replied. "Yes, they'll make it through the surgeries. If you give me everything on those papers, as well as what I asked for, those kids will survive not only the surgeries, but the war as well."

Ayo let out a long sigh as he looked at the papers strewn across the room. He walked out of the room, and Rota followed him in silence, sensing that he was making his decision to support or report her. He walked to the window of her living room overlooking the city and gazed out across the skylanes, hands behind his back. He stood that way for so long, Rota began to fear he was simply stalling for something. Finally, he spoke.

"I..." He began. "I'd like to believe that Garza would support my view of this whole thing, but..." He stopped but didn't turn around right away, which was just as well. Rota didn't want him to see her sudden intake of air at the mention of her mate's name. He turned to face her, his face somber. "In truth, I know he would have supported you, no matter what I threw at him." He smiled a small smile. "He always believed in you... It would dishonor his memory if I began to suspect you. I know you as well as he did... If you say this is the answer to the war, then I need to treat it as such." He squared his shoulders. "What do you need to make this project successful?"


	4. Project ANIMUS

Harbinger Vyorak Stone paced in front of ten men and women, all recruits for the S7 program, as he waited for the right time. The men and women would stand at perfect attention for as long as they were commanded. He didn't worry about their impatience. He was focused on how he could turn what was about to unfold into a lesson, for both the recruits and for the newcomer.

One thing the Harbinger had to do in his long day was to make sure Saiyan training programs were up to par and were teaching the Saiyans practical ways to fight Morika warbots. Up until now, he had ignored the S7 program, the legendary school pumping out impressive Saiyans onto the battlefields. S7s were the only Saiyans that could fight without the assistance of the bond, their training so grueling that any graduate had complete control of their mental facilities; no longer would their full power be locked behind a barrier of fury and uncontrollable anger. They were usually the best the Saiyans had to offer, but a series of back-to-back losses put doubt in the Harbinger's mind. Perhaps they needed some encouragement. He had selected propaganda experts to oversee this first demonstration of real Saiyan power, but remembered the real test, the real results would come from the performance not of his ten soldiers, but of the lone enemy they would face. He hoped he could inspire the S7s to train even harder, and was planning on using Gohan as his tool to make that happen. He stared ahead as he paced, keeping the appearance of focus but actually observing the activity around him.

Holocams were placed throughout the secluded courtyard at strategic locations. Microphones were planted in the few trees that graced the tranquil area, and several officers of the S7 program had gathered to watch this exercise he had planned for the recruits. Word of the Harbinger taking a special interest in this batch of recruits had spread like wildfire. He allowed it to. The war was still going strong, and the Harbinger was wondering if there was untapped potential in the S7 training program. This short demonstration should ignite cold fires and spurn the Saiyans to new heights of power.

News crews spanned the entire courtyard, ready to catch the full story and air it on the evening news. Stone smiled as he imagined the look of everyone's faces when they saw the story. He knew what would happen, and knew it would be just as unbelieving as he first thought when he heard about the boy. But what he wanted was to prove to the Saiyan people that they had grown soft. Weak. They needed to revive that animalistic nature of themselves that demanded the blood of their enemies above honor. They needed to remember the time they faced the Elcon, a psychic enemy that tried to use the Saiyans' anger against them as well. The results were less than the Elcon expected; Saiyan fury was too much for them to handle, and the race had been obliterated from the galaxy by Saiyan rage. No, they had grown too soft in the years without an enemy. The Harbinger needed to show them they could become powerful again. They could win without humans.

His chrono beeped; it was time.

"You have all been selected for your exemplary performance in the war. Your ferocity and power are unquestionable. Your dedication made know. You have the ability to be the best of the best. You have the ability to be S7." He continued pacing, but noticed some stand taller with pride. "Your first test is before you." He looked up at the sky just as a freighter appeared on the horizon. He turned back to the ten men and women. "A freighter approaches. Aboard is an enemy that will attempt to kill all of you singlehandedly. If you do not also fight with intention to kill, it will succeed." He stopped and stared at the ten to emphasize his point. "Make no mistake. Whatever steps off that freighter is capable of killing you. No matter what you see, no matter what you feel, you will fight. Or you will die." He walked off to give them room. "Ready yourselves for battle! Today, you fight for survival!

* * *

The Zeta Space Station was commissioned by the Saiyan Hierarchy as a training grounds for Saiyans back when the Morika brought the war to the Saiyans some twenty years ago. Built several lightyears away from the populated regions of Saiyan space and fitted with the most technologically advanced training programs and cutting-edge security, it was believed to be the most secure station known to Saiyans. This belief was proven wrong when the Morika, during their early years at siege with the Saiyans, deployed infiltration warbots to the station. They introduced a virus within the station's systems, turning the station's security against the Saiyans themselves, cutting off communications and disabling life support. The warbots hunted the Saiyans ruthlessly, be it adults or children. Within a standard week, every Saiyan aboard that station was killed. The station was abandoned, with every Saiyan of any ranking learning of its history to better learn about the Morika's tactics. They were impressive: over 200 Saiyans were annihilated by six warbots and a virus.

If anything, it told Elizabeth how to set her research in motion.

Cargo ships fitted with internal emission sinks would fly her equipment to the station, the sinks making it impossible for any sensors to detect them. The only way for anyone to detect the ships would be if they looked out a window for a visual, and she knew Morika relied on their technology completely. They were almost like machines. As for the Saiyans and humans, the chances of them finding this station or any one of her ships was unlikely. No one patrolled that area of open space anymore.

The space station itself was to be fitted with an extra layer of plating across its entire surface, plating that would make the station look derelict and abandoned, as many people would think it was. Extensive construction would be conducted on the interior after the outer image was complete, gutting and remodeling the entire complex to suit Elizabeth's needs. State of the art technology would be installed that would mask the behemoth's heat signatures, distilling the heat in short bursts at intervals to reduce the chance of the station being picked up on someone's sensors.

Mercenaries and infiltration teams were currently being conscripted to kidnap the appropriate children from the different training programs. Elizabeth had compiled the necessary physical and mental requirements a child would need to survive the surgeries and integration, and had run searches through the backdoor Ayo had provided to find candidates for the project. Once a candidate was found, mercenaries or infiltration teams, whichever was practical, would kidnap the child and plant a flash-clone in its place. The clone would, for all intents and purposes, be the exact same as the host, but would die in an unexplainable accident months from the swap when they were introduced to a certain part of their training. She had inserted a certain gene into the core programing of the clones; no matter who the host was, the clone would have this gene. The gene would randomize certain other genes in the clone's body; a deadly occurrence for the clone. The host had been accepted into the program due to a perfect balance of certain genes that could withstand the Psyjic integration or Bonding; altering any genes would prove fatal eventually. All the clone had to do was submit to some sort of normal procedure and the genes wouldn't match up. Organ failure, cardiac arrest, kidney failure, brain hemorrhaging... The possibilities were endless, just to keep the researchers off her back. One thing was sure, though: the clones would die before they turned "eight."

Once here, the children would be paired with one another, a process the kidnapping would be structured around. Only children that had a match would be kidnapped, and then their match had to be captured as well, or the project wouldn't work. Humans would receive their Psyjic chip immediately, and would bond with their genetic mates before undergoing chemical and mental treatments to stabilize their bonds. Oddly enough, Izzy had the Saiyans also receiving Psyjic chips, though theirs would be lesser models intended only for communication. Izzy's research proved that Saiyans could interact with Psyjic chips provided they had enough training, and the addition would bolster the bond strength to new levels. Exercises would begin to familiarize the children with the bond, ranging from communication to shared senses, with humans learning the basics of psychic combat.

Mere months after the bonding, humans would be put through nineteen different surgeries to bolster their lethality. Organs would be implanted and treatments administered to create a new breed of supersoldier. The surgeries would continue from their eighth year to their nineteenth year, with exercises in between surgeries to familiarize the humans with their new parts.

Saiyans would also undergo brutal training. One of the aspects of Saiyans that made them so powerful was their ability to Ascend. It was rare, and required years of experience, massive raw talent or extreme emotional shock but when they ascended, the Saiyan's power grew exponentially. They called those that ascended the "Yōkai," the Saiyan noun for 'demon'. Elizabeth had no idea just how appropriate the name was, but stories of the yōkai were impressive, if not hard to believe. Tales of Saiyans singlehandedly destroying planets were the more prominent examples of a yōkai's power. Added that one of the children's parents was the single yōkai currently in existence, leading his force into Morika territory with almost no casualties, and Elizabeth knew they must be real.

Elizabeth was determined to make each and every Saiyan child ascend.

Apart from the surgeries, both races would be taught battlefield basics: medicine, boobytraps, ambushing, frontal assaults, flanking maneuvers, repairing, sabatoge, infiltration, assassination, slicing, etc. Elizabeth would have them learn every scenario they could possibly be in, so that they could survive against everything.

She had thought of everything. The project, codenamed ANIMUS, was set to begin a month from now. As she watched the first of what would be many deliveries to the station from her port window in her suite, Elizabeth couldn't shake her anxiety.

That she was about to ruin the lives of dozens of children had passed through her mind by now. Even more so than the war. Children who went to war never had a childhood, but she was planning on doing something to them on a completely different scale.

Humans wouldn't be as...human. And her training that she had scheduled for the Saiyans' ascension was cruel and ruthless. She was only able to sleep at night knowing that what she was doing for these kids was going to save their lives one day.

Maybe everyone's lives.

She sighed and stepped away from the window. She had numbers to review and packages to sort. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

The planet Vegeta was named after its ruler, King Vegeta. The king would pass his crown to his son, Prince Vegeta, just as his father, the late King Vegeta, did. It was as important a cycle as the planet's ecosystem. There never was a king that wasn't named after the planet, and there never would be.

Gohan had never met the king or prince, but he doubted he'd want to anyway. Saiyans had a tendency to develop arrogance with power, and he hated pride. That tendency was displayed here, aboard the SSV Khoran, as the shipmaster continued giving him these dirty looks. Gohan knew it was out of the norm for him to be here, but he also knew that he belonged here. The SSV Khoran was a transport ship that delivered exclusive passengers.

S7 Elites.

That he was aboard the transport should speak volumes. The shipmaster, though, seemed to ignore this gesture and continued scowling. Apart from him and Gohan, the ship was empty. Just as well, Gohan thought. He preferred the silence to what he was sure would have been berating taunts from S7's.

"Boy!" the shipmaster yelled, breaking Gohan's thoughts. "You're about to experience your first test to see if you have what it takes to survive here!" Gohan sat straighter, his attention caught. The shipmaster continued. "You will be set amongst enemies. They will attempt to kill you. You must defeat them!"

He felt the ship bank to the right, and figured they were close to the facility. They had entered the atmosphere of Vegeta not too long ago, and had made a course for the S7 HQ. He didn't know what to expect, and it both unnerved and excited him. "Do you have any advice for me?" he asked the shipmaster.

He was surprised to feel the thump of the freighter touching down. It had been a quicker journey than he suspected. "A direct order from the Harbinger!" The shipmaster stood and slammed a fist on the door controls. "Don't lose!"

* * *

The Harbinger couldn't have been more pleased with how events unfolded. As the door to the freighter's cargo bay opened, all ten soldiers hesitated.

A child stood before them, outfitted in only a blue gi.

Within the same second, the child tore out of the hold with a battlecry, snapping the soldiers from their trance. Even as the recruits made to attack, the child was already at one's throat, landing a fierce punch to the gut that threw the recruit back onto the floor, throwing up blood. Even as the recruit was flying, the boy turned and brought his fist up to meet the fist of another recruit. The results were bone-shattering. The recruit screamed in pain as every bone in his hand and wrist snapped from the force of the child's punch. As he screamed, the boy wasted no time in bringing up his other, open hand and releasing a devastating blast of ki. The recruit flew back in fiery energy, unmoving.

The remaining eight recruits hesitated, realizing that this was no ordinary child, and studied him as he glared back at them.

He wouldn't allow them to study him.

He leaped for the nearest recruit, his hand winding up to blast another massive wave of ki energy at him. The Saiyan, however, disappeared in a demonstration of brilliant speed.

The child wasn't impressed.

In midair, he turned and redirected his blast above him just as he saw the Saiyan appear. His cries silenced bloodcurdlingly quick as he dropped bodily to the ground.

Gohan landed on the ground in a fighter's stance and glared at the remaining recruits, teeth bared in fury. Without giving them a chance to recollect themselves, he flew at them again

* * *

Elizabeth walked around the big cargo bay, clipboard in hand, and checked off equipment as she found them. She had a lot of work to do, and she wanted everything to be here first before she began. Rota was finalizing payment for the deliveries, and since she didn't think anyone else around here would be able to quickly and accurately find all her equipment among several hundred boxes, Elizabeth set out to do just that.

It was really coming along nicely. Ayo had come through with his part of the bargain, providing the necessary contacts, personnel, information, and resources that they would need to make Project ANIMUS a success. Construction had already begun on the outer hull of the station, and Elizabeth had just reviewed and approved the plans for the interior. Seven teams of mercenaries and infiltrators were already reporting ready for deployment.

They even had a news feed set up in monitors along the walls to most of the rooms, so as to keep up with current events.

Elizabeth smiled to herself as she checked off piece after piece of equipment she ran across while walking the bay. She paused to let some dockworkers pass carrying a large box marked "Kitchen Utensils," and as she laughed silently to herself, Rota Khan found her and walked up beside Zeier.

"Find anything particularly funny, Izzy?"

Elizabeth continued walking as she looked among the boxes for the remaining unaccounted-for equipment. "Oh, nothing. I think the boxes could have been marked a little more... originally. But they serve their purpose."

Rota shook her head with a small smile. "That box really _did_ contain kitchen utensils. The kids can't eat with their fingers."

"Oh," Elizabeth said, and then smiled even bigger. "Now _that's_ funny." She made a check next to a box marked "Live Fire Exercise" before looking at Rota. "How goes the other preparations?"

Rota nodded. "Good. All personnel have signed their waivers. They're ready to train the children, no matter the risk. Construction on the hull is almost complete. I rode out with a scouting party to see the final details, and it looks like this station has been derelict for years. We're actually thinking - with your approval - about putting an artificial asteroid field around the station to discourage privateers and pirates from getting curious about this station. We'll feed the media a story about an asteroid colliding with another asteroid, and the resulting mess was pulled into a field by the station's mass."

Elizabeth nodded her consent. "A sound idea. One I had been turning over in my head for a few days now." She flipped the pages on her clipboard until she had come to a blank sheet and wrote down things for Rota to consider. "Download this program onto the station's main servers. You'll find it on my main computer in my office. I've been tinkering with it for a while," she said nonchalantly. "Place ADM scanners at regular intervals throughout the field, as well as placing two on both poles of the station, and link all of them with this program." She handed the sheet to Rota, who looked at it in skepticism.

"What will this accomplish?"

Elizabeth held up a finger to prove the point. "The ADM scanners are small, microbial sensors I've developed years ago that, when linked together by a common nexus - the server - provide a powerful 3D image of their surroundings, hence their name. All Dimension Microbial Scanners. ADMS. If you link them together, the server will provide us with a constantly updating chart of the asteroids and their movements. We can even predict where the asteroids will be so as to plan successful entrances and exits around the asteroid field." She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "The possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3720:1. With these charts, that pushes the odds to a guaranteed success."

Rota nodded, smiling at the idea of better security. "Well done, Izzy." She folded the sheet of paper and looked back at her. "Any other ideas we can use?"

Elizabeth opened her mouth to answer, but was stopped by the sound of someone's voice speaking throughout the speakers in the bay.

_"Ms. Elizabeth, ma'am! We've just picked up a news broadcast from the Saiyan planet of Vegeta! It's from the Harbinger! You're gonna want to see this, ma'am!"_

Elizabeth and Rota looked at each other before taking off for a monitor located along one of the corridor walls connected to the cargo bay. It showed the Harbinger speaking directly into the camera, but words were intelligible. Rota contacted the bridge with a com-unit on her wrist. "Begin the broadcast from the beginning and bring the volume to 30." The man on the other side of the com did just that, and soon the broadcast began again.

_[Attention Saiyans! This is Vyorak Stone, Harbinger to your King, the great Vegeta! I command your attention!_

_I believe I speak for everyone when I say this war has gone on long enough! We Saiyans embarrass ourselves by relying on the pitiful humans for assistance in war! It is because of this that I am taking a special interest in the S7 program! We will begin conscripting Saiyans from the military at a much faster rate than usual, and so I need every Saiyan everywhere to begin training seriously! Civilians! If you sign up for the program and you are selected to become an S7, your household status will be increased by one class. First-class Saiyans will receive a 40% increase in their pay!]_

Elizabeth stared in confusion as the Harbinger revealed the political incentive to the Saiyan people. She had always thought a Saiyan's inherited class was permanent. To hear of the Harbinger changing it was surprising. She knew enough of political science to realize this sudden shift of power would be risky at best for a warlike race.

Rota couldn't believe what she was hearing! The Harbinger, tampering with the Saiyan social structure. That was certainly an unusual development, one that could have a profound impact on the future of her race. On one hand, his incentive could inspire Saiyans to reach untapped potential. On the other, it could ruin the balance of power between the classes - the political damages of such an event were barely predictable at best.

_[Such a thing has never happened before in the history of our people,] _he continued. _[But there are many firsts for our race during this war. Never before have we fought a race that could adapt to our way of war. Never before had we allied ourselves with another, inferior race just to survive. But never before have I seen such promising potential in the upcoming generations.] He smiled for a moment as his audience likely wondered what he was talking about._

The news feed suddenly cut to a video of a fight. What was most memorable about the fight were the contenders. There looked to be about eight or ten adult Saiyans, but who they were fighting was most remarkable.

It was a boy.

Elizabeth stared in awe as the boy took on all ten of the men and women, showing no fear at the odds he was against. She quickly saw why he wasn't fearful; he was more than a match for all of them. He fought like an animal, quickly burning through the soldiers until there wasn't a man or woman left standing.

The news feed cut back to the Harbinger. _[That was a video of a seven year-old boy tearing through ten recruits for the S7 program! That seven year-old boy was stronger than them, because they didn't take him seriously! Because they were weak! All of you are weak! You will all be saved by children like that because you won't accept that the war is on its way here, and you aren't strong enough to save yourselves! Is that what we Saiyans are about? No! That boy succeeded because he knew he had to! That's what I want from all of my people! I want us to succeed because we have to! I shouldn't have to go door to door, conscripting children to fight for their people! Parents should be lining them up for me to take so that they can bring honor and pride to their family AND their people! I want Saiyans to train harder for the war, so that you can protect those that depend on you! Or the Morika will surely kill us all!]_

The news feed stopped and the regularly scheduled program continued. Elizabeth and Rota neither moved nor spoke as they considered what they had just seen. Finally, they looked at each other, and Rota broke the silence.

"I...I don't know what to think of that," she said quietly. "The Harbinger loves his people. But..."

"It sounded like he was angry with them," Elizabeth finished. She looked apologetically at Rota as the Saiyan nodded.

"Saiyans are usually ready to go to war, but..." She turned away and looked out into the cargo bay. "This enemy, the Morika. It's the first time I've seen an enemy inspire fear in my race. I think the Harbinger is trying to overturn their fear with pride."

Elizabeth nodded. The Morika were a horrific enemy, showing no remorse or mercy. Elizabeth had seen them kill children as easily as adults. They had one goal in mind: to kill every sentient being in the galaxy.

Elizabeth turned back to the monitor, bringing up a recording of the news feed again and cycling through it until she came to the boy fighting the adult Saiyans. "What interests me, though, is just who this boy is." She paused it during one of the boy's attacks, the boy frozen in midair, mouth open in a battlecry as his fist was pulled back to wind up for a fierce punch. She stared at the boy, memorizing every feature about him, from his unruly black hair to his unusual navy blue gi. "Rota, I want you to find out who this boy is. Use every resource we have to discover his identity, and run genetic backgrounds on him. Cross-reference them with other possible candidates." Rota looked sideways at her, and Izzy answered her unspoken question. "He needs a bondmate."

"I want him. No matter the costs."

* * *

**3 weeks later...**

The darkness was actually calming to Gohan, and as he sat in his cell he thought about the irony of it all.

Gohan had been taken from the courtyard to this cell quick enough to make his head spin. He had defeated those men and women, but knew one or two of them wouldn't survive and figured that was why he was staring at katchin walls and bars. The Harbinger insisted, however, that was not the case. In reality, he was here to be protected. After seeing what he did to those recruits, the S7 Elites would become interested, more so than they needed to be. And once Gohan started fighting with them, the Harbinger felt it would be necessary to separate him from the facility to discourage any vendettas or jealousies. He wouldn't be effective propaganda if he were dead.

Gohan didn't care. As long as he was bonded by the end of the year, he didn't mind the seclusion. That was all he wanted to do: fight. If they took away his ability to do that, he would be concerned. But they hadn't. In the few weeks that he was here, he had fought dozens of opponents, each providing a challenge. They were keeping him tough and limber, probably to ensure little issue when he eventually bonded. Apart from the physical regiment, he was also given the opportunity to strengthen his mind. Enstrusted with a commissioned PDA tablet, he was given books to read, mathematical equations to practice, maps to study, historical battles to analyze, and more. He didn't lack things to do, and no one bothered him. Ironic that he enjoyed the time in his cell.

He was reviewing past battles from the Feudal era of Saiyan history when his door unlocked and a lady walked in. He recognized her almost immediately as his doctor, Arola Qieen. Her striking blonde hair was the dead giveaway; she was the only Saiyan he had seen with naturally blonde hair. It was a rare genetic disorder Gohan remembered reading about at the academy. It was rare enough and insignificant enough that it still remained in the Saiyan genes. It hadn't been bred out like most other abnormalities, and it could be easily fixed with a chemical dye.

Arola wore her hair proudly. It was a pride Gohan respected; she was proud of the mutation and cared little about what others thought about it. At the same time, however, she didn't consider it something other than it really was: a mutation. There were some Saiyans that believed blonde hair was the sign of super strength and power. Others believed it was an omen of poverty and despair. Arola had been his doctor for three weeks and he could already tell she thought of her hair as hair. Nothing more.

It was because of her demeanor that he cooperated with her more easily. She, in turn, treated him respectfully, admiring his power but remembering that he was a Saiyan. As she closed the door to the cell, she flipped on the light that Gohan hated. Despite his preference to the dark, she had to have light when she visited him.

"Hello Gohan. How are you feeling?"

"Well," he answered, standing and offering her a salute of respect.

She returned it before gesturing for him to sit. She removed her heels and took a seat in front of him, placing her clipboard and folder off to the side before looking at him in the eye.

It was another reason Gohan appreciated her. She wouldn't stand over him, peering over her glasses as she wrote down his statements and gestures. She would come down to his level, even getting comfortable with her surroundings as if she'd be there for a while, before starting their sessions. Without even knowing it, she gave Gohan more respect than even Piccolo did.

"So, how fare your studies?" she asked, her gaze directed at the PDA placed carefully at the corner of the cell.

"Easy." He retrieved the PDA and handed it to her for her to review his work.

She silently studied his answers before nodding to him with a smile. "Very good. You're keeping your mind as sharp as always. That's extremely important for the end of the year."

Gohan nodded, a question forming in his mind. "Has the Harbinger said when I'll be bonded?" He knew Arola worked with the Harbinger directly, and was involved in planning his eventual bonding with a human. As far as he knew, he was to be shipped to the training station, Klota, to bond and begin training with his human counterpart at the end of the year. The Harbinger should have all the propaganda he would need by then. No one really spoke about it, though, so he wasn't about to get his hopes up.

"I'm hoping within the next two months, but that really is up to the Harbinger. His propaganda campaign has actually started off to a good start. Recruiting stations are overflowing and there has been a noticeable increase in traffic around local sparring gyms. The filming of you fighting an Elite one on one was a good breakthrough. Hopefully it won't be much longer."

Gohan nodded, content with her answer considering she wasn't technically allowed to talk about it. He decided he'd get the session started. "Alright. Let's go ahead and get started." Gohan closed his eyes as he settled into a meditative stance.

Qieen nodded and closed her eyes. Gently, she connected her mind with Gohan's and their training began.

For two hours, Gohan struggled to defend his mind against Qieen's onslaught, all the while understanding that her attacks on his mind were to prepare him for the bonding. When he connected with a human mind, odds were they would lash out like they usually did when coming into contact with a foreign mind for the first time. He didn't want to die from an accident, and so took this training very seriously.

Eventually, Qieen opened her eyes. Her presence faded from Gohan's mind instantly, leaving him exhausted. She smiled as he collected his breath. "Very good, Gohan. Your mental control and defense is much stronger than before. You've been meditating."

Gohan smiled as he regulated his breathing. "I have. I have to be ready when I bond."

Qieen smiled. "You're almost there. We'll try harder exercises tomorrow to get you ready for the end of the year. But you're doing well."

Gohan nodded as she stood, and he stood as well, gathering her things for her and handing them to her out of respect. "Do you really think I'll be ready?" he asked uncertainly. He knew Quinn was holding back during their exercises, and didn't know if it would be enough. He usually wasn't this unsure of himself, but battles of the mind were foreign to his race. How could he defend himself against something he couldn't see?

Quinn placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Yes. I think you'll be ready in time. You've still got months before the bond. Plenty of time for progress and mastery of mental defense." She smiled before gesturing to the mattress at the furthest end of the cell. "Now get some sleep. Mental exercises are exhausting, and you'll need your sleep for the propaganda shot tomorrow.

Gohan nodded and climbed onto the mattress. As Quinn left, she turned the light off, enveloping Gohan in darkness once more. With barely a thought left in his head, Gohan fell asleep.

* * *

Dr. Ozell pushed the glasses up his nose as he reviewed the several hundred S7 physical reports, looking for abnormalities that would need chemical therapy. The chemical therapy was one of the most effective, but costly, ways of stabilizing bodily functions within a Saiyan. Discovered almost two thousand years ago, chemical therapy effectively hardened the Saiyan immunity system against any known disease or ailment. What the humans commonly called 'cancer' was also a common ailment on Vegeta. Three generations after the discovery of chemical therapy, and Saiyans effectively bred out the possibility of cancer.

It had been cured.

Since then, chemical therapy remained the prime solution for any sort of abnormality within a Saiyan that would prevent him or her from fighting. Despite this, it was costly, and only accessible to those that were privileged enough, rich enough, or connected enough to receive it.

S7 Elites were such individuals. Any abnormality, no matter how small, would be corrected. Even vision that was less than perfect was improved with chemical therapy before biotics was considered. And it was up to the prescribing doctors of the S7's to find and correct these issues.

Orzell sighed, pushing his red bangs out of his eyes before closing the folder and sitting back. He had been working on these files for two days now, and was nearing the end of the list. He could take a small break.

He stood, stretched, and walked out of his office and into the corridor outside. He found his way to the break room, where most doctors and nurses spent their time away from the office, carousing and forgetting their troubles for even the briefest time. At the moment, there was only one doctor enjoying the silence. And particularly attractive one at that.

Orzell retrieved some water from the cooler and sat across from Doctor Arola, smiling at the blonde as she looked up to see her visitor. "Ah, the human doctor graces me with his presence." she exclaimed. "How can I help you, Dr. Orzell?"

"Please," Orzell replied. "Call me Weylon." He smiled at her as she nodded.

"Doctor, that's unprofessional." She smiled despite her claim and leaned forward with interest. "Are you taking a break?"

Orzell nodded as he took a sip of water. "Prescribing chemical therapy is boring, not to mention a waste of my talents." He shook his head. "Though we all have a part to play, I suppose. I just wish mine was more...important."

Arola smiled knowingly. "I feel the same way. I wish I could help in some greater capacity, but haven't found an opportunity. You'd figure being stationed at the S7 HQ would be more exciting, but hardly anyone needs a doctor here. Not with all the scientific medical equipment they have here."

Orzell cocked his head. "Wasn't there an incident three weeks ago that required the entire medical staff?"

Arola nodded, her face twisted in disgust. "More like gravediggers. Ten recruits were slaughtered at the southern courtyard by a young boy." She gestured to Orzell. "I thought you were here for that."

Orzell shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I was stationed here a week after."

Arola shook her head. "You missed it. That boy killed all ten of those recruits. The Harbinger just stood by and watched."

"Sounds likes remarkable boy."

"Not the word I would use to describe him, but..."

"But he is," Orzell interrupted. "A young boy, not even of age, killing ten seasoned war veterans single-handedly?" Orzell crossed his arms. "That's remarkable."

"Perhaps his power is," relented Arola, "But his restraint isn't. Did you know that during his time at the academy, he almost killed other children for the slightest provocation? They tallied up almost a dozen injuries he was responsible for."

"No, I believe I missed that part." He swirled the water in the cup for a moment as Arola continued.

"The boy's powerful. But he's like an animal. A reserved, and cautious animal, but an animal nonetheless." She shook her head. "It's sad, really."

"What do you mean?"

Arola swept her blonde bangs from her eyes. "He comes across as a predator. Constantly watching you, observing your every motion or reaction, staying quiet and inconspicuous the entire time. He speaks with wisdom and intelligence befitting an older boy, and his power certainly belongs to a man, but we've noticed that if he's provoked, he loses control. He just...snaps. And anyone in his way is in great danger." She shrugged. "I would have thought it was because of his childhood, but his records don't mention anything out of the ordinary for a Saiyan child. He trained with his grandfather while his father and mother were away during the war, and was sent to the academy after testing positive at the Screening." She looked to the side. "I would have thought there would be something in his past that would leave him so quiet, and yet so violent at a moment's notice."

Orzell frowned. "You seem to know a lot about this boy."

Arola smiled. "I should. I'm his doctor. No one sees him but me."

"No one sees him?" Orzell asked.

Arola smiled. "You seem like a good guy, Weylon. I'll give you a bit of advice. Gohan is here to promote the Harbinger's propaganda campaign. Aside from that, we seclude him from the rest of the facility while he continues training for the bonding. We don't want him to fall back on his training."

Orzell cocked his head. "If he needs to continue his training for bonding, then why is he here?"

Arola leaned back. "The boy is too powerful for normal facilities. The academy couldn't compensate for his abilities. They shipped him out to us in the hopes that he might find better competition amongst the S7's."

"But then why keep him locked up?"

"Think about it, Weylon. A seven year-old boy capable of killing a fully trained S7 won't promote the healthiest of environments. The Harbinger doesn't want his prize damaged by jealousy and revenge."

Orzell nodded. "Interesting." He finished his water and stood. "Anyway, I've stayed too long. Forgive me, but I must return to my work."

Arola's eyes narrowed in confusion. "You've only sat here for five minutes at the most. You know your breaks can go until fifteen minutes?"

Orzell nodded. "I do, but my work won't finish itself. I'd better get back to it." He nodded at her. "Good night, Arola."

"Have fun," she replied, returning to her water.


End file.
